


Deception

by Sazzy260



Series: Danger and Romance [2]
Category: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Danger, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, It's For a Case, M/M, Matter of Life and Death, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-01-08 02:35:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12245391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sazzy260/pseuds/Sazzy260
Summary: Picks up where we left off in 'Undercover' - Gibbs, Tony and Callen are now working together on a classified highly-dangerous mission, they don't have a whole lot to go on, but what they do know is that they will be in a faraway location, with only themselves as backup - How will the team of three men survive what is to come?





	1. Chapter 1

After a non-stop grueling three days of chasing down leads for their murder investigation, lack of sleep and far too much caffeine consumption, Gibbs and Tony fumbled into the house tiredly, leaning heavily against each other as their exhausted bodies started coming down from all the caffeine and adrenaline they’d been running on.

 

Gibbs headed for the kitchen, “Was nice having you back out in the field.” He commented as he opened the freezer and pulled out one of the pre-made meals that Tony had stored in there, he removed the plastic cover and sniffed at the frozen meal, humming appreciatively at the aroma that the lasagna emitted.

 

Tony nodded as he dropped tiredly into one of the dining chairs, watching as Gibbs moved around the kitchen to prepare their dinner “It was nice, but damn am I tired… I definitely didn’t miss these all-nighters.” Tony said, yawning into his fist “I’m out of shape.” Tony added, chuckling slightly as he watched Gibbs bend over to place the lasagna into the oven, a small smile spreading across his face as the jeans Gibbs’ wore stretched perfectly over his firm rear end.

 

Gibbs tilted his head to the side “Stop staring at my ass.” Gibbs said gruffly as he stood up and kicked the oven door shut, turning to glare at Tony, although the stare was nothing more than a playful rip of his more meaningful glare.

 

Tony immediately blushed up and averted his eyes downward “Sorry… Can’t help it if you have a nice ass.” Tony said meekly, plucking at a chipped spot on the table; he knew that he had to confront Gibbs about this secret assignment, and also how he hadn’t known about it sooner, depending on how long Gibbs even knew about it, which was obviously more than a few days, by Vance’s not-so-subtle way of dropping that bit of conversation to Gibbs.

 

Before Tony had a chance to ask the million-dollar question, Gibbs sat down, clasping Tony’s hand with a deep breath “There’s an NCIS agent that has been captured and we just got a location on him a few weeks ago – He’s somewhere in the Far-Eastern quadrant of Russia.  NCIS Special Agent Randall Crane, you ever heard of him?” Gibbs asked, looking directly into Tony’s eyes.

 

Tony shook his head slowly “Not really.  Where in Russia?  Why wouldn’t you have told me this sooner?  Why are you being assigned this?  What does it entail?” Tony asked, feeling his anger slightly ebb as concern set in for the captured NCIS agent, even if he didn’t know the man, his own experiences made him more sympathetic to others who were in familiar situations.

 

“He’s in a small place called Pevek.  I didn’t tell you sooner because I didn’t know if I was going to take the mission… But once you were cleared for field-duty again, I knew that I could take it on – Plus, with Callen coming aboard, it would work having him with us in Russia – He speaks fluent Russian and can get us around the cities easily.  I’m being assigned because, well it’s just something that I can do… and it entails saving Crane and getting him back stateside.” Gibbs said, huffing out a breath as he looked at their joined hands and then back up at Tony “Does that answer all of your questions?” Gibbs asked, raising his eyebrow slightly.

 

Tony nodded wearily “So you want me to stay back and lead the team, while you and Callen go off on some dangerous mission?  Is that it?” Tony asked, his anger surging up again as he stared at Gibbs.

 

Gibbs shook his head and cupped Tony’s jaw “No!  That’s not it at all.  I want… _need_ you with me Tony.  I know I try and put on this stoic bravado crap, but I _need_ you to have my six, I _need_ to know that you are right there with me, through everything.” Gibbs admitted quietly, looking away from Tony as if he were even ashamed of admitting this, even though Tony knew how Gibbs felt about being out in the field without him there – They had _always_ been each other’s protectors, and without Tony there, Gibbs had always felt naked, striped of an armor that was necessary to survive.

 

Tony took ahold of Gibbs’ hand that had encompassed his jaw, interlocking their fingers “Okay then.  We’ll wait until Callen gets here… Which should be tomorrow afternoon, then we’ll tell Vance, together, that we three will be going to Russia.” Tony said as he stood up, kissing Gibbs’ forehead and walking towards the kitchen to collect the lasagna from the oven.

 

Tony didn’t like the idea of going all the way to Russia, especially after only completely recovering from his own ordeal just a few months ago – But he could see the determination in Gibbs’ eyes, and knew that it would be like a dog with a bone, and he really couldn’t stop Gibbs from going, with or without him, even though he didn’t know Randall Crane, he was an NCIS agent and Gibbs somehow always felt responsibility for those who needed saving, especially when it came to one of their own.

 

Tony nearly jumped out of his skin when Gibbs’ arms encircled his waist “It’s going to be alright.  Three men – three highly trained, veteran agents – we can do this without any problems.” Gibbs whispered against the back of Tony’s ear, his fingers slowly inching their way underneath Tony’s shirt.

 

Tony nodded, sighing slightly as he set the lasagna pan down, finally feeling the heat radiating through the oven mitts “I know.  And we’ll probably be fine… It’s just…” Tony shook his head and placed his palms on the counter, stretching his fingers outward.

 

“After last year, you’re leery to go on an OP again.  I get it – and I’ll be right there, with you, the entire time…” Gibbs said as he kissed the back of Tony’s ear lightly, his fingers moving soothingly across the firm planes of Tony’s abdominal muscles.

 

* * *

 

The next day at work, Tony was impatiently tapping the tip of his pen on his desk and staring at the elevator doors, waiting for them to open up and deposit their newly acquired team member – he’d remembered something about Callen from their encounter last year, and he really wanted to get one-on-one time with Callen and discuss the ‘personal’ problem that had required Callen to leave LA.

 

Finally, Callen walked out of the elevator doors and looked around at the burnt orange building of the DC building “Wow… This is really orange.” Callen said, blinking a few times as he headed towards the bullpen where Tony and Gibbs were standing now, waiting beside one another.

 

“I said something similar when I first came to NCIS…” Tony said as he extended his hand outward, Callen smiled and shook Tony’s hand “Welcome to DC.  Hope you like snow.” Tony said welcomingly, grinning devilishly.

 

Callen shook his head slowly “Hate snow, but… I needed this… This change in scenery.” Callen admitted quietly, glancing around the bullpen “I thought that you had two more team members?  McGee and Ziva?” Callen asked curiously, looking back at Tony and shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.

 

Gibbs snorted as he headed back to his desk, leaving Tony to deal with their newly appointed agent “They’re down in the lab going over final reports for the case we just closed out.  They should be up shortly.” Tony assured as he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

Callen sighed quietly “I see it in your eyes – and I promise that we’ll talk about LA later…” Callen said quietly, just as the elevator dinged and opened, depositing Ziva and McGee out onto the floor, both agents squabbling about something ridiculous.

 

Tony rolled his eyes “And that is Ziva David, and Timothy McGee.” Tony said as he dropped into his desk chair, letting the back of his chair smack loudly against the cabinets, bringing Ziva and Tim’s arguing to a crashing halt.

 

Ziva and Tim scrambled to shake hands with their new team member, and Ziva even got a dreamy look in her eyes when she shook Callen’s hand “I’m G. Callen, I go by either G, or Callen…” Callen said as he looked between the two colleagues, withdrawing his hand and taking a slight step back.

 

Ziva batted her eyelashes slightly “What does the G stand for?” Ziva asked innocently, not knowing that this was also a particularly rough spot in Callen’s history.  He had never known what the G in his own name stood for, and although he desperately wanted to know, he thought that it was likely he would never find out, since he hadn’t even the slightest clue who his father was, or where to even start.

 

Callen looked away “I don’t know…” Callen said quietly, shaking his head as he turned back to Tony, hoping for a reprieve from the sudden tension he felt boiling in his shoulders “So, where is my desk?” Callen asked with a slight hopeful tone in his voice.

 

Tony chuckled as he stood up, grasping Callen’s shoulder “We have to get the partition removed so you’ll be able to see us… But this is your desk.” Tony said, tapping the desk behind the partition nearest to McGee’s desk, Tony glanced over his shoulder, glad that Tim and Ziva had gone back to their own desks.  “We have to go see Vance soon.  Gibbs, you and I have something to talk about with him.” Tony added in a whisper, Callen nodded as he sat down at the desk, getting comfortable in the new chair that he’d be sitting at for a while.

 

* * *

 

After about an hour of waiting, Gibbs finally got the call that Vance was ready to see them now “DiNozzo, Callen, with me.” Gibbs said as soon as he hung up the phone, heading up to the director’s office without waiting for either man.

 

Tony and Callen scrambled to get up and join Gibbs before he got too far ahead of them “Is he always this rushed?” Callen asked in a whisper, looking sideways at Tony as they raced up the stairs.

 

Gibbs turned around abruptly, both men crashing into Gibbs’ broad chest “I am when things are important.” He said, staring down at Callen with a raised eyebrow, he then turned back around and headed straight into Vance’s office without knocking, Tony and Callen quickly bringing up the rear to join Gibbs in the office.

 

“Ah, Agents’ Gibbs, DiNozzo and Callen.  This is only slightly unexpected.” Vance said, looking between the three men curiously as he shifted through a few files on his desk.

 

“We’re – the three of us – are taking on that mission.” Gibbs said as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of Vance’s desk – Callen looked mildly shocked by this admission, but he took it in stride and remained standing, allowing Tony to take the seat beside Gibbs.

 

Vance nodded his head slowly “Very well.  Let’s get to the briefing then.” Vance said as he pressed a button underneath his desk, locking the office down into secure mode “None of this is allowed to leave the room, you three are the only ones who are to know what has happened.” Vance began, pulling out three files and passing them off to each man, “NCIS Special Agent Randall Crane was kidnapped approximately seven months ago by Russian radicals who still identify themselves as KGB, and two weeks ago at 0138 we received an encrypted email from someone working for the radicals saying that they had Randall Crane, with picture evidence – if you would flip to the fourth page, you’ll see the email and pictures.” Vance said, waiting for the three men to do as instructed – the images were of a burly man tied up to a metal pole, beaten and bloodied – neither man grimaced or had the nerve to look away, despite the gruesome scene before them.

 

The three men nodded and looked back at Vance for him to continue “So far the Intel seems legit, we have no reason to believe that this is in any way a set up.  All you three have to do is go in, rescue Crane, and get the hell out of dodge before anyone notices.  You’ll have a C130 waiting for you at Andrews Airfield when you’re ready – I will make that call – it will take you as far as Japan, and from there you will board another plane that will take you from Japan to Russia, and then from the plane you will have a car waiting for you at the airport, and you will drive to Pevek.” Vance stated, looking curiously between the three men “It’s a long journey, do you think that you can handle that?” Vance asked, his curious tone edging on concern as he looked directly at Tony.

 

Tony nodded his head “I can handle it.  I’ve been pain free for three months, Director.” Tony said honestly as he stood up, shaking his leg around and grinning foolishly, Gibbs had raised his hand up but Tony was already sitting back down, his grin widening “Sorry, boss.” Tony said as he looked over at Gibbs with a quirked up eyebrow.

 

“We’ll be fine Leon.” Gibbs assured as he stood up, turning towards Callen “Probably should have warned you that you’d be going into the line of fire before your first case.” Gibbs said, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he headed for the doors, the secured confidential folder tucked underneath his arm.

 

Callen shrugged “I’d rather be out there saving lives than sitting here twiddling my thumbs.” Callen said as he joined Gibbs and Tony out of the office “My bags are already packed and sitting in my car downstairs, how long until you two can be ready?” Callen asked, looking between the couple.

 

“Ten minutes.  All I have to do is go home and get my sniper.  Meet you at the airfield.  Tony, go with Callen.” Gibbs said as he bounded down the stairs “Your bag is in my trunk right?” Gibbs asked, looking up at Tony from the bottom of the staircase.

 

Tony nodded as he leaned over the railing, looking down at Gibbs “Yes, it’s underneath the blanket.” Tony said, a slow smile spreading across his face as he thought about the blanket that had been used a multitude of times for lying out at the park underneath the stars with Gibbs.

  

* * *

 

 

Between giving Callen directions to Andrews, he finally found his opportunity to talk to the other agent about the personal matters that had brought Callen to DC “So, mind if I asked you what happened?” Tony asked nonchalantly, looking out the window with a curious expression on his face.

 

Callen sighed as he twisted his fingers around the steering wheel slowly “I… I don’t know… It all came crashing down on me after you and Gibbs left LA…” Callen said quietly, keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead of them.

 

Tony worried a nail between his teeth and looked over at Callen “What do you mean, after we left?  How could we have possibly impacted your decision to leave LA, and then come and join us?  Especially if we did something so bad that it ended your time in LA…” Tony questioned, raising his eyebrow slightly.

 

Callen shook his head “No… No.  You and Gibbs didn’t do anything wrong – It was me… It was my fault, really… I never should have let it happen…” Callen said quietly, lowering his head briefly before refocusing on the road, he’d opened his mouth several times, wanting to say what had been plaguing his mind for the past eight months, but nothing, except for the cold hard truth, seemed adequate enough to him at this point.

 

Tony reached over, squeezing Callen’s shoulder reassuringly “You can tell me, I’ve pretty much heard every tale that can be told.  Probably even lived a couple of those tales myself in the past…” Tony said, which in some cases may be the actual truth, he’d had a lot of failed relationships, from friends, to lovers, and even his own parents, nothing except for Gibbs and the team ever seemed to work out for him.

 

Callen nodded, once again about to open his mouth when he pulled up to the gates of Andrews and were escorted in, the guard at the gate saying that ‘Special Agent Gibbs was already waiting on the tarmac’ and that ‘Wheels go up in five, so you’d better hurry.’  Callen and Tony both nodded, and Tony had to actually grab the oh-shit-handle as Callen sped at breakneck speeds in the direction of the waiting C130 and Gibbs who was standing out on the tarmac, wearing almost an entire winter-marine getup, save for the BDU jacket, sniper rifle slung over his shoulder casually and two large duffle bags in one arm.

 

Callen’s car came to a grinding halt, slanted sideways and nearly toppling over on its side with the sudden stop, Tony felt completely nauseas and he’d _never_ felt nauseas after a car-ride, even with Gibbs at the wheel, and Tony knew Gibbs had a knack for nearly turning the car over on the roof “Grrph…” Tony mumbled as he got out of the car, staggering towards Gibbs, who’d quickly caught him underneath the arms, looking over top Tony’s head at Callen with a raised eyebrow.

 

Callen shrugged as he slammed his car door shut and walked around to the trunk, popping it open and grabbing his go bag “I didn’t think he would get so car sick… Sorry.” Callen said apologetically as he breezed past Gibbs and Tony, who was still mumbling against Gibbs’ chest, his eyes closed tightly.

 

Gibbs chuckled as he kissed the top of Tony’s head affectionately “You’ll be alright babe, just breathe…” Gibbs instructed quietly as he ran a soothing hand up and down Tony’s back – Although Callen wouldn’t have known this, but, having known Tony for twelve years, Gibbs knew that sometimes speeding would up-end Tony’s stomach.

 

After a few deep breathes, Tony nodded as he lifted his head and swiped at the tears in his eyes, built up from suppressing the bile that had rose up “Okay… Okay I’m good… Just need the Dramamine and Benadryl, and we can be on our way.” Tony said as he dug into the bag slung on Gibbs’ shoulder, pulling out a pill bottle and a bottle of water, he took two of each pills then swallowed down a gulp of water, “Alright, let’s go before we miss the hop.” Tony said as he turned to the C130, boarding the plane and finding his seat between Callen and Gibbs.


	2. Chapter 2

The twenty hour flight to Japan had been mindfully boring, especially with Tony sacked out through the entire trip, but Gibbs enjoyed being on military aircraft, even though Tony’s lead-like body was plastered against his lap for more than half the hop over, he enjoyed the comradery that filled the air from the second they had boarded the C130.

 

Callen was the only other person who he knew was awake, but Callen was a lot like him in a way, tight-lipped and not one to speak about their emotions, although if you looked at the younger man you could tell that something was bubbling just beneath the surface, that something was seriously bothering him, and Gibbs’ only hope was that Callen would, or could, open up to Tony, because if there were one person anyone could open up to, that was Tony.

 

The C130 shook viciously a couple of times and then bounced a few times as it landed on the runway, coming to an abrupt halt.  Gibbs opened his eyes and looked down at the head of brown hair in his lap, he honestly had no idea how Tony was able to sleep straight through a twenty hour flight, but was glad that he had – it was a clear indication that Tony’s knee no longer bothered him and could handle flying again without any problems, which made Gibbs smile as he carded his fingers through Tony’s hair “Tony, hey!  We’re here babe.” Gibbs said, shaking Tony’s shoulder lightly.

 

Tony grumbled tiredly, then sat up, rubbing tiredly at his gritty feeling eyes, blinking slowly as he watched several well-built marines unloading their belongings and debunking from the plane “Shouldn’t have taken both pills…” Tony mumbled as he slowly stood up, blindly grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

 

Callen was already off the plane and waiting at the end of the ramp.  Gibbs slung his bag and rifle over his shoulder and then took Tony’s hand “You slept for twenty hours, straight, you know.” Gibbs commented as he and Tony walked step-for-step off the plane.

 

Tony nodded as he looked between Callen and Gibbs “Don’t like military flights… Never smooth sailing there.” Tony said, glancing backwards at the C130 before heading off towards the waiting black SUV “Hopefully it won’t take long to get to the next airport… Hop skip and a jump from here.” Tony said, pulling more cheer into his voice, even though he still felt entirely groggy from the cocktail of pills he’d taken before the flight.

 

Gibbs and Callen soon joined Tony in the SUV, stowing their gear – save for Gibbs’ beloved sniper, which he kept close to his chest – in the trunk and buckling up as their NCIS appointed driver began the journey “How long until we get to the airport?” Tony asked impatiently, squirming in the backseat of the SUV.

 

“About twenty minutes from here.” The driver reported, keeping a vigilant eye on the road as he pulled out of Iwakuni’s airfield and onto the streaming traffic of the Japanese highway.  Tony tried busying himself with looking at the landmarks around him, but his leg was bouncing rapidly and his fingers were twitching ceaselessly.

 

Gibbs leaned over, “You have to take a piss, don’t ya?” Gibbs taunted good-naturedly as he rested his chin on Tony’s shoulder, watching the scenery pass by.

 

Tony grunted, nodding his head quickly as he continued fidgeting restlessly, even with the added pressure of Gibbs’ body pressed against his it felt like he was about to explode “Really… really… do…” Tony said through clenched teeth, he was trying _everything_ he knew not to piss himself at this point, but whenever he’d close his eyes, running water would be at the forefront, even when his eyes were opened that seemed to be the only thing he could think about.

 

Gibbs chuckled as he wrapped his arm strongly around Tony’s shoulder, kissing his lover’s temple softly “We’re at home on the couch, watching PI reruns… I’m stroking your chest with you in between my legs…” Gibbs whispered into Tony’s ear, knowing that anything to distract Tony would help at this point.

 

Tony smiled lazily, closing his eyes as he let the visual prompt took over his mind, perfectly contented to think about him and Gibbs being at home, comfortable and making love to one another, knowing he could keep his erection at bay because of how badly he had to use the bathroom.  The twenty minute ride however felt like it took an eternity, and the second the SUV stopped moving and Tony had directions to the nearest bathroom, he was off like a bullet leaving Callen and Gibbs to load up their stuff in the small aircraft that would take them from Japan to a private airport in Russia.

 

* * *

 

After a quick eight-hour flight from Japan to Russia, the three men got into the SUV that they would be driving from Tilichiki Russia all the way to Pevek Russia.  Tony looked around expectantly as they drove along the highway, for stretches of miles all he could see was the pure white of newly fallen snow, and there was practically nothing but snow, hardly any other cars inhabited this region of Russia as they were in the middle of the winter and although the roads were mostly clear of the snow, things seemed so barren, but that could also be explained away because it was the middle of the night.

 

Tony was a little giddy, bouncing on the seat as he watched the scenery past, there were large and lush looking pine trees that lined either side of the highway, and if you looked closely enough he could even make out some wildlife, deer most likely, in the distance “This is so awesome.” Tony gushed, his face practically smooshed against the window as he watched the scenery.

 

Callen snorted slightly “Guess you never been to Russia before?” Callen asked from the backseat, looking at the side of Tony’s head.

 

Tony shook his head briefly “No… Not that I can remember anyway.” Tony said sullenly, glancing over at Gibbs then back at Callen – Tony _really_ wanted to talk to Callen, they had started their conversation thirty hours ago, and everything felt like reading a really good book-series that left you hanging on until the next chapter, and Tony really just wanted to turn the page to find out what happened next.

 

Gibbs chuckled as he grasped Tony’s hand, “This will be a first for Tony.  I’ve been to Russia before, couple of times – My Russian isn’t so great though.” Gibbs stated, looking up in the rearview mirror at Callen.

 

Callen nodded understandingly “Thus why I’m here, because I speak Russian fluently.” Callen surmised quietly, looking out of his own window as the winter wonderland scenery passed them by at high-speeds, his thoughts running away with him as he thought about what he’d left behind only a few days ago.  Callen hated having to run away from his problems, but there was no way around it, everything had come to a head and he had no way of protecting himself, other than leaving behind his city, his friends, and more importantly… what little family he had.

 

Tony looked over his shoulder, frowning slightly at the faraway look on Callen’s face, he didn’t know if the other agent would open up to him, not with Gibbs sitting in the vehicle with them, but he had to try “You know… We – Gibbs and I – won’t say anything… if you want to talk about it.” Tony said quietly, sympathy and concern coloring his tone.

 

Callen sighed, smiling sadly as he nodded his head slowly “It really all started after Sam and I went to Mexicali to pick up Lexi…” Callen started, looking at Tony, frowning slightly as Tony tensed up slightly at the name “At first things were fine… Sam and I went back to work after you guys left, but I found that I had to distance myself from him, I’d already made a fool of myself with saying _‘_ _Just goes to show you that love will make anyone do anything that the person they’re in love with asks of them’…_ Because for me, it was true – I did everything and anything that Sam wanted to do, even if I weren’t really interested… I accepted his family, his kids… even his wife…” Callen said, his voice sounding distant and sad as he stared blankly out of the window as he continued the tale.

  

* * *

* * *

 

_Sam stood on the sidelines of the basketball court, watching Callen curiously – he knew that something had been bothering his best friend for the past couple of weeks, but they still hadn’t talked about it, even though he knew neither of them were much for getting ‘in touch’ with their feelings, he just **had** to know what had been bothering Callen._

_“Hey G.” Sam greeted as he joined Callen on the basketball court, catching the ball that was tossed in his direction and holding it under his arm “Think we can talk…?  Something has been bothering you, and… I need to know what’s going on.” Sam said, keeping his tone firm as he dropped the ball on the ground, settling his foot over it._

_Callen sighed, swiping his sweat on the bottom of his shirt as he moved to stand in front of Sam “What are you talking about?  Nothing is bothering me…” Callen said dismissively, crouching down to try and retrieve the ball from underneath Sam’s foot._

_Sam kicked the ball away, then pulled Callen back up to his full height, towering over him with each of his muscles twitching and bulging slightly “There **is** something bothering you!  Something has been bothering you since we came back from Mexico!” Sam urged impatiently, stabbing Callen roughly in his chest.  Sam’s nostrils flared out angrily as he stared down at Callen._

_Callen shook his head slowly “You really want to know what’s bothering me?  Fine.  You are what is bothering me Sam!  I can’t take this shit anymore…” Callen said as he started to turn away, hoping that Sam would just leave this entire thing alone, he wasn’t as lucky though once he felt a strong hand grasp onto his bicep and turn him back around._

_“What the hell does that mean?  How can I be bothering you?!  I haven’t even done anything!” Sam questioned, his voice rising slightly as he tightened his grip against Callen’s upper arm, staring angrily into Callen’s eyes._

_Callen pulled his arm out of Sam’s grasp, crossing his arms over his chest; he knew if he told Sam the truth, it would likely ruin their friendship and he would lose the man completely, but he also knew if he **didn’t** tell the truth, he’d never know if there could be a sliver of a chance.  So, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he stared at Sam straight in the eyes “I’m in love with you.  Have been in love with you for as long as I can remember!  This is why I’ve been hanging out with you less when we’re off-duty!  I’ve been trying to distance myself, lose the feelings I’ve had for you for so long!” Callen shouted as he continued staring at Sam, keeping eye contact with the taller man even with the rejection he saw in Sam’s eyes._

_Sam shook his head slowly “I… I never thought that could possibly be the… I can’t…” Sam sighed as he walked away from Callen a few steps, rubbing a hand over his smooth scalp as a thousand thoughts ran rampant through his mind, “We won’t be speaking of this ever again…” Sam said decisively, walking off the basketball court and leaving Callen standing there with his mouth and eyes widened in shock._

_Once Sam had disappeared, Callen sunk to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees as he stared blankly across the park he was in.  Nothing made sense to him anymore, he didn’t know if he could take the rejection he saw in Sam’s eyes, then his best friend just turning and leaving him there like he didn’t even matter anymore, it was all too much, but he had to try and stick to what Sam said, and not speak about it._

* * *

 

_Over the next few months, Sam had managed to get out of working with Callen completely, the man barely even looked at Callen and definitely hadn’t said a word to him since that terrible evening at the park.  It was like Callen didn’t even exist beyond speaking to him about work, and even then it wasn’t directly aimed **at** Callen, but the team in its entirety, Callen had just become a person who stood in the background, like an extra in a movie._

_Callen had spent countless, sleepless, nights tossing and turning in his bed as he thought about how he was going to deal with work and more importantly how sour his life had become since Gibbs and Tony’s undercover operation had made him start thinking that if they – two of the most well-known and most notorious NCIS Agents – could make a relationship work with each other, why couldn’t be do it too?_

_Unfortunately he also didn’t take Sam’s wife into account, “blinded by love” supposedly, he thought bitterly as he climbed the few stairs to Hetty’s office, he had to get out of here, to get his head on straight and find somewhere else he could call home, because he just simply didn’t feel like he belonged in LA anymore.  He knew Kensi, Eric, Hetty… and maybe even Deeks would feel slighted about his sudden need to leave, but he wasn’t about to tell anyone else how he felt about Sam and see the laughter in their eyes over his stupidity for falling in love with a happily married man._

_“Ah, Mr. Callen… What can I do for you?” Hetty asked, looking up from her desk as the taller man loomed over her desk precariously._

_Callen shrugged as he slumped down into one of the antique chairs in front of Hetty’s desk “I need to request a transfer.” Callen had whispered so quietly that when he looked up at Hetty, it looked as if the older woman hadn’t even heard him, he’d opened his mouth to repeat what he said when Hetty held her hand up._

_“I presume this has something to do with Mr. Hanna and the cold shoulder treatment you’ve been receiving from him over the past seven months?” Hetty inquired._

_Callen cursed internally, he knew that Hetty had noticed the lack of communication between himself and Sam, but hadn’t completely thought it through when it came to actually asking for the transfer “Yes.” He replied honestly, he couldn’t lie to Hetty, even if he wanted too – needed too, really._

_Hetty nodded slowly as she picked up the decanter off her desk and poured a finger of the bourbon into two crystal glasses, handing one over to Callen and keeping the other for herself, “And you’re sure that transferring is the best and only option you have?” Hetty asked, holding the glass to her bottom lip.  Callen nodded as he downed the bourbon in one go, because he didn’t want to think of anything other than transferring, he loved being an NCIS agent far too much to resign his position, “Alright then, do you know where you want to go?” Hetty asked, taking a small sip of her bourbon and then setting it aside._

_Callen nodded “Yes.  I would like to be transferred to DC – With Gibbs’ team, on the MCRT… I’m sure you could talk to Director Vance and see if he could place me there, on a temporary basis, until something else opens up.” Callen stated, looking imploringly at Hetty, a slightly pleading look in his eyes, hoping that Hetty would approve not only his transfer, but this incredible difficult task._

_Hetty smiled slightly “Gibbs’ team is an extraordinary leap, you would do their team well with your skillset.” Hetty complimented as she pulled out a stack of papers out of her desk, then grabbed her phone “I’ll tell you when everything is set in stone… Don’t venture off to far.” Hetty warned as she pressed a few numbers on her phone._

_After about ten minutes, Hetty came over to Callen’s desk, setting down a transfer request form and a fancy silver ballpoint pen “Just sign where your name is needed and everything is set.” Hetty said quietly.  Callen just nodded, grabbing his own pen and signing the paperwork “Director Vance will expect you within forty-eight hours, good luck, Mr. Callen.” Hetty said, a hint of sadness in her tone as she turned and walked away._

* * *

Callen sighed “And that’s my long and pitiful story… He completely erased me from his life.  Therefore lost my best friend, and with it, my home, and my family – Even though that really only consisted of Hetty…” Callen said his eyes locked on the scenery of forestry outside of the window.

 

Tony rubbed the corner of his eyes and smiled sadly “I’m really sorry that that happened…” Tony said quietly, glancing around their surroundings – They had been on the road for nearly eleven hours now and Tony was growing impatient and bored with sitting in the car and just staring at the never-ending snow banks of the highway.

 

Gibbs must have sensed Tony’s irritability, because he reached over and gently squeezed Tony’s thigh “We’re almost there… probably another hour or so.” Gibbs said quietly, a small smile spreading across his face briefly, before he returned his hands to the wheel and the set of his lips thinned out and that determined ‘Marine-look’ came back to his features, pressing just a tad harder on the accelerator.

 

Tony rolled his eyes and looked over at Gibbs “Trying to make me sick, boss?” Tony grumbled, his fingers curling tightly around the door handle as Gibbs turned sharply around a bend in the highway.

 

Gibbs chuckled as he slowed back down to doing just under 95, they had made good time with Gibbs driving – It was meant to be a twenty hour journey from one coast of Russia to the other, but they’d just now hit the twelve hour mark and were soon to be in Pevek within the hour, possibly a little more if Tony’s stomach didn’t stop doing summersaults and his bladder would leave him alone.

 

Gibbs was determined to get them there though, before nightfall completely came down upon them once again – They had to find a hotel to stay in for the night, to regroup and get ready for the mission that they were about to take on.  Which meant buckling down on whatever details they could find, get their weapons prepared, check over their vests and get well needed rest, because they may not be getting much of it if this OP somehow went sideways.

 

Tony dropped the seat back as far as it would go, curling up and looking at Callen “Who needs him anyway… He was an asshole for rejecting you so harshly like he did.” Tony stated, furrowing his brows as he reached over, patting Callen’s knee affectionately.

 

Callen snorted disdainfully “He is an asshole.  I laid my heart out on the line for him, and all he did was stomp on it and leave me naked and vulnerable.” Callen stated angrily, his chest heaving rapidly from his breathing increasing rapidly rom the anger rising up “Fuck him!  I don’t need him, I’ll find someone better!” Callen declared, turning to look out the window.

 

Tony nodded as he turned away from Callen, looking out his own window at the tops of the large pine trees and watching as snowflakes fell gracefully from the puffy white clouds above them.  The snow seemed to never stop falling this far up north, but the roads were also as clear as possible, with minimal traffic still lining the highways, which Gibbs easily weaved in and out of, hardly pissing off any other drivers as they were also driving rather rapidly.

 

* * *

 

Callen and Tony were both woken up by the car coming to a sudden stop, Tony groaned as he opened his eyes, looking around at their new location “We’re here.” Gibbs said gruffly, and only those who knew him – which Tony did – could hear the tired undertone in Gibbs’ voice.

 

Tony sat up and looked at the two-story rat motel “Gross…” Tony mumbled as he got out of the car, groaning as he stretched his stiff muscles “Guess it’ll do for the night.” Tony said, shrugging his shoulders as he collected his bag from the trunk and headed towards their two rented rooms.

 

Callen and Gibbs followed Tony into the hotel room, each man looking around at the two conjoining rooms “Actually… It’s not that bad.” Tony stated as he dropped his stuff on the king size bed in the middle of the room, then collapsed backwards onto it tiredly.

 

Gibbs shook his head as he began pulling out their gear – three bulletproof vests, three Sig Sauer P228’s, two M4A1’s, one Blaser 93 Sniper Rifle (Gibbs’ personal sniper), and one full-body winter Ghillie Suit (Again, belonging to Gibbs).  While Tony flipped through a phonebook that looked like it was produced in the early 60’s, Callen and Gibbs went over the weaponry to make sure they wouldn’t jam when it came down to it, although in the back of all three men’s minds, they hoped it wouldn’t come down to using them.

 

“So, what do you guys want for food?  We’ve got… Russian… Russian… and more Russian.” Tony stated, tossing the phonebook onto the bed and looking at Gibbs and Callen with a raised eyebrow, both men chuckled and agreed on their only choice – Callen dialed the number, ordering three meals.

 

After their meals were delivered and eaten, Gibbs sat back against the headboard with the file spread out in front of him; Callen had already gone to his own room, and Tony was in the shower, so he had time to formulate his own plan with a map of the predicted location of their missing NCIS agent.  Tony came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, a puff of steam following behind his towel-wrapped waist “How do you work that map thing?” Gibbs asked, pointing towards Tony’s iPad on the bed.

 

Tony smiled as he laid down on the bed, grabbing his iPad and opening up the satellite view on Google Maps, scrolling around until he found the desired location, then set the iPad in front of Gibbs “Pinch to zoom in or out, and just scroll using your index finger… Think you can handle that?” Tony asked as he rolled off the bed, rummaging through his backpack to find his shorts.

 

Gibbs nodded slightly as he cocked his head to the side, pinching and pushing at the screen slowly “Hey… I think I’m getting the hang of it.” Gibbs stated as he squinted at the iPad, trying to make out what was being displayed before him.

 

Tony chuckled as he grabbed Gibbs’ glasses and handed them to the older man, then settled on the bed next to him.  Gibbs nodded his thanks as he slid his glasses on “The compound he’s being held in has several mountains surrounding it… It has two access roads on either side of the compound… I will be able to easily conceal myself within the tree-line encompassing the back access road…” Gibbs said, pointing to the small area on the map as he looked over at Tony.

 

Tony nodded as he laid his head on Gibbs’ shoulder “Sounds like a good plan… What about Callen and me?” Tony asked as he stared at the map, waiting for Gibbs’ to impart his infinite fount of tactical knowledge upon him.

 

Gibbs smiled as he kissed the top of Tony’s head “You and Callen will come in through the same access road – That way if any of these so-called KGB members come out, I can drop them before they get to you… Since I have a silencer on the rifle, they won’t know what hit them – As long as you and Callen stay low and in the snow.” Gibbs said, grinning slightly from the rhyme he unconsciously made.

 

Tony chuckled as he gathered the papers off the bed and neatly stacking them back into the folder “Alright Dr. Seuss, we need to get some sleep.  So, off to bed, off to bed I said.” Tony said, grinning as he set the folder aside and snuggled into Gibbs’ side, then pulled up one of his saved movies on the iPad.

 

Neither man paid much attention to the movie as it played, their focuses were surrounding the mission that was to take place in ten hours.  While Gibbs thought of the perfect location for his snipers nest, Tony had to think about how he and Callen were going to slip into the compound unseen and rescue their kidnapped NCIS agent – unfortunately though, Tony’s stomach started clenching with an uneasy nervousness, thinking that perhaps it was just the anticipation of the mission, but he knew from years of working with Gibbs, not to ignore his guy when it started screaming, but he also knew that he wasn’t going to say anything until the need to voice his concerns became prudent, and especially not now, since Gibbs had fallen asleep against his side.  Tony shut off the movie and put the iPad aside, snuggling down into the bed with Gibbs and closing his eyes, even if it took him a lot longer to fall asleep than it did for Gibbs to do so.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, after getting all of their gear on and making sure that their communication devices were working properly by running around the back of either side of the hotels to check their distances before the tell-tale signs of static came in; Gibbs, Tony and Callen loaded up into the SUV and drove in the direction of the compound.

 

The three men abandoned their SUV in a thick patch of woods and then hiked the half mile to the compound, where Gibbs had found himself a decent thatch of bushes that would serve has his snipers nest.  Gibbs quickly blended in with the mixture of thick brush and snow, the only sign that the man was even there was the tip of his sniper rifle emerging from the underside of the bushes.

 

Tony and Callen shared a quick glance at each other, then back at Gibbs before they started the remaining half-mile trek through the snow, once they’d spotted the compound, they submerged themselves in the snow, wearing all white coming in handy as a truck passed them by on its way out of the compound.  Tony and Callen belly-crawled their way closer to the compound, and just as they reached the electrified gate, bullets seemed to ring out from every angle surrounding them, zipping hastily over their ducked heads.

 

Following the gunfire was several shouted Russian curses and men dressed in heavy black furs filing out of the compound “What the hell is happening?” Tony hissed, expecting the burly Russian men to start dropping from Gibbs’ sniper rifle as promised, this made Tony’s stomach clench ever tighter.

 

Callen had his head bent as he tried focusing in on the shouts of angry Russian men “Apparently they know we’re here – Not our specific location… They saw the SUV…” Callen whispered, glancing up at the men who were scrambling into either vehicles or the grounds themselves to find the intruders.

 

“We have to get back to Gibbs and get the hell out of here… But…” Tony stopped and stared at the compound, inhaling deeply “What about Crane?  He was our objective…” Tony stated, furrowing his brows slightly.

 

Callen shook his head and pointed a white gloved hand towards a burly man, who had a few bruises on his face but was otherwise unoccupied and actually barking orders at some younger men in Russian “I don’t think he’s going to be so willing to come with us if we save his ass.” Callen said, huffing out a foggy breath of air.

 

Tony nodded as he rolled over onto his back in the snow which encompassed his entire body, his lungs felt like they were on fire from the mix of adrenaline and the surge of anger that had boiled up inside of him, his breathing was ragged and hitched slightly “Gibbs?  Gibbs… Answer me!” Tony said into the comm unit, when nothing but static echoed back at him, panic set in almost immediately.

 

Tony lifted his head out of the snow, looking towards the bushes where he and Callen had left Gibbs only ten minutes ago, there was no movement in the bush, there wasn’t even a sign that Gibbs was there anymore, “Jethro… Come on, come on…” Tony mumbled as he slowly turned in the snow, army-crawling his way through the snow and back up the hill, Callen only a half an inch away.

 

As the two men grew closer to the bush, they smelt the sickly sweet smell of blood filling the air, and while Tony wanted nothing more to than just rush up the hill the rest of the way, he also didn’t want to get spotted by the Russian’s down the hill.  Tony pulled himself over the ridge and fell into the bushes, landing flat in a pool of congealed and slightly frozen blood, Gibbs was lying on his side, cradling his shoulder and looking nearly as pale as the snow beneath his face “Jethro… Hey, can you hear me?” Tony asked, lightly slapping Gibbs’ cheek.

 

Gibbs opened his eyes slowly, stark blue eyes locking onto emerald green eyes in the morning light “Yeah… I can hear ya… The hell happened?” Gibbs grumbled as he ever so slowly pulled himself up into a seated position, leaning backwards against the tree trunk.

 

Tony sighed as he sat down beside Gibbs “Looks like you got shot in the shoulder… I don’t know how the hell that happened though.” Tony stated as he began moving the mesh material of Gibbs’ Ghillie suit out of the way to inspect the wound.

 

Callen kept his eyes on their surroundings, his weapon at the ready “NCIS Special Agent Crane is a spy… He’s working with the Russians… Or better yet, he seems to be the ring leader.” Callen reported, keeping his voice low as he laid in the snow and trained his weapon on a moving vehicle that was headed in their direction.

 

Gibbs snorted disdainfully and then hissed in pain as Tony pressed against his shoulder, a mumbled ‘sorry boss’ coming from Tony as the younger man tried finding exactly where the bullet hole was “Looks like a through and through…” Tony stated absently as he expertly moved his fingers around two wounds – one exit and one entry.

 

Gibbs nodded as he pushed Tony’s hands away “We need to get the hell out of here before we’re found.” Gibbs stated, staring at Tony who had a slightly worried look on his face “I’ll be fine, DiNozzo… We need to go, _now!_ ” Gibbs urged as he dropped to his stomach, and while it was slow going, the three men made it down the hill to where their SUV was parked.

 

Tony slowly opened the driver side door and sighed loudly at the cut wires that were dangling underneath the steering column “We aren’t leaving with this thing… Someone slashed the wires.” Tony stated as he slumped against the side of the SUV, looking between Gibbs and Callen who were propped against a tree.

 

Gibbs huffed out a breath of air “Grab what we can, we’ll just have to hike back…” Gibbs stated as he stood up slowly, grimacing at the pulling in his shoulder, quickly masking the shooting pain that shot through his shoulder and straight down to his fingers, but of course, Tony had noticed it.

 

“You okay?  We can wait a little while… see if the so-called KGB members leave the compound and possibly hotwire one of the cars…” Tony questioned, already on his feet and standing impossibly closer to Gibbs with concern dancing in his eyes.

 

Gibbs shook his head, setting his hand on Tony’s shoulder “I’m fine – We need to get going.” Gibbs repeated as he headed towards the trunk, he stripped off his Ghillie suit and shoved it aside, adorning a heavy and thick white parka, then grabbed a few bags, tossing them over his shoulder.

 

Although Tony wanted to heavily protest Gibbs’ need to get a move on, the shouts of the Russian men grew closer and he knew their time was running out – Callen and Tony moved quickly and efficiently to grab their remaining bags and then follow Gibbs deeper into the forest.  Gibbs had a few good feet ahead of the two younger agents, and the deep snow wasn’t making their efforts any easier to gain any ground “Damn he’s fast.” Callen said through quivering lips, even though it was morning, the sun hadn’t been up long enough to warm the air, and they were still riding out the crisp night winter air.

 

* * *

 

After walking for an hour straight, definitely away from the Russian compound, Gibbs finally stopped, leaning heavily against a tree, his face still a comparison to the snow falling all around them – it was mildly difficult to see even a few feet in front of their own faces from the thick flurry of snow.  “We should find somewhere to settle down and warm up; and I need to look at your shoulder.” Tony said as he was finally able to catch up to Gibbs.

 

Gibbs grunted his disapproval, but nodded reluctantly as he pointed towards a small clearing in the thick blanket of snow “There should be good enough to build a small fire.” Gibbs said as he pulled out a zippo lighter with the marine emblem raised on the front of it and pressed it into Tony’s hand.

 

Callen went around to quickly gather several dead branches, stacking them in a teepee style with several dead leaves underneath the branches “This should be good for now.” Callen stated as he sat down on a downed log, cradling his head in his hands as Tony flicked the lighter to life and lit the leaves and branches on fire.

 

The blaze flew up a few feet and then gradually descended to a slow burn that radiated heat in the small clearing and warmed the three men’s frigid bodies.  Tony slowly unzipped Gibbs’ jacket, frowning as the jacket came away stickily “You’ve been bleeding this entire time…” Tony whispered as he pulled away bloody fingers and looked at Gibbs with an unwavering stern look.

 

Gibbs looked away, shrugging his uninjured shoulder slightly “Yeah, I guess so… Is it bad?” Gibbs asked, unable to bring himself to even looking into Tony’s eyes at this point.  One rule in their relationship, was always being honest about injuries, and Gibbs let this one willingly go through the cracks, even with Tony knowing about it, he hadn’t admitted how badly it really was when he felt the heat of blood trickling down both his chest and back slowly.

 

Tony scowled slightly and actually reached up, popping Gibbs’ in the back of the head with a famous ‘ _Gibbs Headslap_ ’ “Yeah it’s bad!   Jesus Christ Gibbs, if were any bigger I’d probably be able to fit a bottle of beer inside of it!” Tony snapped, glaring directly into his boyfriend’s eyes, now that Gibbs’ attentions were on him completely, “We’re going to have to cauterize it to stem off the bleeding… At least until we can get you to a doctor, safely.” Tony said sympathetically, still glaring at Gibbs.

 

Gibbs nodded slowly “You know how to do that?” Gibbs asked curiously, pulling aside his sticky sweatshirt and undershirt for Tony to get both a better look and more access to the wounds.

 

Tony nodded emphatically “Unfortunately, yeah… I do.” Tony stated as he withdrew his knife from one of the several pockets in his stark white cargo pants, setting the open blade into the fire and waiting until it burned hot and bright.  Tony then rummaged through his backpack until he came across one of his thicker leather belts “Bite down.” Tony instructed as he shoved the leather into Gibbs’ mouth, nodding in satisfaction when the older man did so.

 

Tony inhaled deeply as he picked up the handle of his blade, muttering ‘Sorry’ under his breath repeatedly as he pressed the searing hot blade to the front of Gibbs’ shoulder, wincing terribly as Gibbs’ agonized scream, muffled by the belt, still echoed painfully through the dense forest.  Tony hated the tears that sprung immediately into Gibbs’ eyes, knowing that he’d have to do this one more time “I’m really sorry…” Tony repeated as he settled the blade back into the fire.

 

Gibbs shook his head and let the leather belt drop to his lap “Don’t… apologize…” He said through gasped breathes, resting his head against the tree trunk and closing his eyes tightly as he let the searing heat from the blade still echoing on his shoulder slowly disappear into the cold breeze of the winter air.

 

Tony rolled his eyes “To hell with it being a sign of weakness, Jethro – I’m fucking hurting you here and I don’t really like it!” Tony snapped, his blood boiling and raging in his veins angrily as he snatched the scalding hot blade again, shoved the belt back into Gibbs’ mouth, and without so much as a peep of a warning, pressed the hot blade against the back of Gibbs’ shoulder over the wound.

 

Gibbs growled painfully this time, expecting the searing pain and heat from the blade, “Asshole.” Gibbs grumbled as he dropped the belt from his mouth, looking at the singed skin on the front of his shoulder, then over at Tony “You did good, babe.” Gibbs complimented as he grabbed his bag and pulled out a zip-lock, shoving some snow into it and pressing it against both sides of his shoulder.

 

Tony shook his head, back turned away from Gibbs and Callen “I shouldn’t have had to have done it at all!” Tony shouted, turning back to look pointedly at Gibbs “What the hell happened?  I thought Randall Crane was one of us?!” Tony asked angrily – Clearly no longer mad with Gibbs’ injuries, but for the reasons why he was injured in the first place.

 

Gibbs shrugged as he slowly staggered up to his feet “I don’t know Tony… I don’t get it either.  But believe me, we’re going to find out, as soon as we can get back to the motel…” Gibbs stated as he brought one hand around Tony’s shoulders, pulling the younger man into his chest and hugging him closely.

 

Tony nodded against Gibb’s uninjured shoulder “Don’t do that to me again… Scared the shit out of me.” Tony whispered as tears formed and easily rolled down his cheeks, his fingertips gripping at Gibbs’ back to bring him closer.

 

* * *

 

As night descended upon the three agents, the echoes of wolves howling sounded through the forest, causing goosebumps to rise on Tony’s entire body “We need to find shelter for the night – There is no way we can navigate this forest in the dark.” Tony said as he looked around briefly, pulling his arms across his chest to keep what little warmth he had left inside of his body.

 

Callen nodded “I’ll go ahead and scout out an area.” Callen said, giving a pointed look in Gibbs’ direction – Tony also turned to look at Gibbs, who was still pale in the face and had slowed down considerably.

 

And so, Callen forged ahead while Tony wrapped his arm around Gibbs’ waist “You feeling okay?” Tony asked quietly as he and Gibbs walked step-for-step through the deep snow.  Tony could feel that the older man was colder than even himself, and the hazy look in Gibbs’ eyes definitely weren’t a positive.

 

Gibbs nodded as he slung his own arm lazily around Tony’s waist, thankful for the support to get up the small hill that they were climbing “Not really sure right now, let you know when I’ve had at least eight hours of sleep and twenty cups of coffee?” Gibbs questioned jokingly, even if it were a weak attempt, but Tony would chalk that up to exhaustion and pain.

 

Gibbs and Tony finally got to the top of the hill, standing triumphantly together, until Gibbs started swaying slightly, his hand going to his head “I don’t…” was cut off as he toppled backwards, ungracefully sliding sideways back down the hill.  Tony was quick to slip down the hill on his ass, but not before Gibbs’ side careened into an unforgiving tree and Tony heard the deafening sound of bones crunching painfully beneath the surface.

 

Tony shook his head as he pulled off his gloves and hat “No, no, no… You can’t do this to me, you bastard!” Tony shouted as he wrapped his arms underneath Gibbs’ armpits, and slowly pulled him away from the tree – Gibbs’ body was completely limp and cold to the touch.

 

Tony placed his fingers to Gibbs’ neck and wrist at the same time, sagging in relief at the pulse he found, it was weaker than usual but was still steady enough – Gibbs was just out cold and currently and immovable object.  After sitting in the cold snow for ten minutes with Gibbs in his arms, Callen finally emerged from over the hill and slid down to join the two other agents “What happened?” Callen asked, concern evident in his voice.

 

Tony shook his head slowly “I think, all the pain, the climbing… everything finally caught up to him… He fell down the hill… I don’t know what he broke, but I heard something in his right side crunch…” Tony said, nodding from the tree to Gibbs’ right side.

 

Callen moved around Gibbs’ side and slowly began pressing his hands against the right side of Gibbs’ body, finally stopping around Gibbs’ hipbone and the top portion of his thigh “It’s either his hip or his leg… I can’t really tell with all these clothes on him.” Callen reported as he looked at Tony, and then up the hill “I found a bit of a cave that has bushes at the entrance… If we could just get Gibbs up the hill and to the opening…” Callen stated as he moved down towards Gibbs’ feet.

 

Tony nodded as he wrapped his arms around Gibbs’ chest again, on the count of three, the two younger agents lifted Gibbs’ limp body up into the air, and then ever so slowly they worked their way up the hill.  As soon as they got to the flat part of the ridge, Callen and Tony turned their bodies and Callen led the way back to their shelter.

 

Callen made himself busy with building a slightly larger fire – both for the warmth and the light it provided – in the center of their cave-like shelter, while Tony busied himself with stripping Gibbs’ of his thick winter pants muttering about not wanting to undress him again in circumstances like this “You’ve undressed him before?” Callen asked teasingly as he sat down beside Tony once the fire was crackling perfectly.

 

Tony blushed against his better judgement, thankful that the heat and brightness of the fire masked the red of his skin “Only to rip his shirt off and toss it across the room…” Tony stated shyly as he tugged Gibbs’ boots off and laid them beside the fire to warm them back up, he then pulled Gibbs’ pants off completely.

 

Callen and Tony slowly assessed the damage done to Gibbs’ right side – there was an impossibly large bruise that spread from the older man’s hip down to the middle of his thigh – “Looks like it was his leg… Thankfully not his hip.” Callen said as he reached for his bag and pulled out an industrial sized first-aid kit.

 

Tony raised his eyebrow as he watched Callen quickly set to work with a few long sturdy sticks, gauze tape and some bandages “You always carry around a first-aid kit the size of a dresser?” Tony asked as he carefully brought Gibbs’ pants back up his legs, mindful not to jostle the splint work.

 

After settling Gibbs against a pillow and pulling a thick sheep-skinned blanket around the older man, Callen and Tony made themselves comfort, their M4A1’s and Sig-Sauer’s within distance to grab if any of the wildlife of Russia decided they were easy snacking prey.  Tony managed to keep a running commentary of several movies that somehow depicted their current circumstances, and Callen stared into the fire, putting his input in whenever he felt necessary – which Tony was thankful for, since Callen seemed to have a more vast knowledge of filmography than Gibbs did, but at the same time, he missed Gibbs’ subtle grunts that even though the older man wasn’t understanding what he was talking about, that he was in fact listening and probably either storing the information for later or just storing it long enough to pass a pop-quiz if Tony had ever thought of doing one.

 

Instead, Gibbs was still unconscious and bundled up.  The only indication of life still in him was the subtle rise and fall of his chest and the short snuffling noise that always accompanied the man in his sleep, which made Tony smile and ache at the same time.  Gibbs would be a bear in the morning if he were conscious, especially since they didn’t think to bring any type of instant coffee that they could percolate over the fire – All they had were a few candy bars and a few bottles of water that they had gotten from the vending machine at the hotel, and that had been nearly thirteen hours ago.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been three days since Gibbs had fallen down the hill, and he showed no signs of waking up.  Tony and Callen had portioned out the six candy bars they had between them, and were able to melt the bars down to feed Gibbs so that the older man had some sort of sustenance in his body, but their rations were now down to half a bar each and their stomachs were rumbling louder than the howling wolves.

 

Tony reached blindly for Gibbs’ hand through the darkness of the night, his fingers finally finding their mark and wrapping lightly around the warm flesh of his lover, “I’m gonna get you out of here Jethro… I promise.” Tony whispered tiredly.  Tony nearly jumped out of his skin when Gibbs’ reciprocated the gentle squeeze, even if it were weaker than usual it sent a spark of hope through Tony’s body – yet at the same time a pang of sympathy, knowing that Gibbs was probably in an excruciating amount of pain right now.

 

Gibbs slowly sat up, groaning painfully as he laid his head against the wall of the cave “Need to… find… some food…” Gibbs managed to get out through labored breathes, his hand slowly moving over his injured side and leg and wincing as pain shot through his body like hot spikes.

 

Tony shook his head “We’re kind of in the middle of the forest.  And you might be okay with eating bugs and other earthly creatures of that sort… But I most definitely don’t do bugs, Jethro.  Snails, turtles… No, just… I can’t.” Tony said as he looked over at Gibbs with a raised eyebrow, not that the older man would be able to see it clearly, since it was midnight and the forest was darker than anything.

 

Tony was still rambling about the animals he wouldn’t eat, under any circumstances, when Gibbs reached up and weakly slapped the back of Tony’s head “What… about the bars…?” Gibbs asked, looking over at Tony.  The fire was still lit, burning low and casting an ethereal orange glow in their surroundings, so they could just barely make out each other’s faces in the darkness that also surrounded them.

 

“There is only half a bar left in your rations… we had to melt them down in order to feed you, while you were unconscious.” Tony said sadly, looking to the three half-wrapped bars sitting on his backpack “I could give you mine as well…” Tony offered as he reached over, grabbing two of the foiled wrapped bars and handing them to Gibbs.

 

Gibbs shook his head slowly, only taking one of the two bars “No… No Tony… you need to eat…” Gibbs replied weakly, shaky fingers slowly peeling back the wrapper until the chocolate was revealed and he took a bite out of it, savoring the small morsel by letting it slowly melt in his mouth.

 

Tony shook his head defiantly “I can go without it, Jethro.  I’m not the one who got shot in the shoulder, then took a tumble down a hill and broke his leg… You need all the energy and strength you can get so we can get the hell out of here.” Tony said harshly but still keeping his voice quiet as to not wake Callen up – They had decided, that after the first night when Tony woke up to a raccoon nibbling at his gloved hand, that they would each spend six hours keeping watch and six hours sleeping until Gibbs had woke up and regained enough strength to move.

 

Gibbs snorted but took the chocolate bar Tony offered regardless, he knew he was the weak link at this point, and he wanted to get back to somewhere warmer than the middle of a Russian forest, even if it meant the middle of a blizzard in DC, he would take that over this any day “Thanks… Tony.” Gibbs said meekly as he slowly munched on the candy bars.  Even though it truthfully did nothing to quench his hungry, it made him feel a bit better and definitely loved that Tony had sacrificed what little he had left to eat.

 

After Gibbs had finished the bars, Tony shifted to sit behind the older man and Gibbs indulgently laid his head back against Tony’s chest, their fingers linking together in the center of Gibbs’ sternum as they both looked up at the tree-topped forest, only a few starts twinkling through cracks in the leaves “Kind of reminds me of the park at night…” Tony whispered as he snuggled a little further underneath the sheep-skinned blanket, they could not have been more thankful for this purchase – it was large and fit all three agents, even when Gibbs was injured and unable to move.

 

Gibbs nodded as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, even though they hadn’t showered in three days, somehow Tony still smelt so enticing and spicy “It is rather peaceful out here… Cold as hell, but peaceful.” Gibbs agreed as he pulled his good leg up and hooked it over Tony’s outstretched leg, then slowly turned his body with the added leverage “I’m sorry Tony… I shouldn’t have lied to you the other day about my shoulder.” Gibbs whispered as he rested their hands against his stomach.

 

Tony leaned his head down and pressed a gentle kiss against Gibbs’ lips “I know you are… Now hush, you look exhausted.  Go back to sleep.” Tony whispered as he brought one hand up and began gently carding his fingers through Gibbs’ hair – this reminded him all too much of last year, when he’d needed the comfort, and this was the only way that seemed to calm his nerves even a fraction, and soon enough, Gibbs was fast asleep in his arms – the only thing Tony was thankful for was that Gibbs had no nightmares of unpleasant thoughts.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, with sunlight beaming down from high above and birds chirping in the distance, Gibbs woke up, still in the position he’d fallen asleep in last night, with Tony still behind him.  Gibbs groaned as he stretched out whatever muscles he could move in that moment, pain rocketing through his body from his right side, he went rigid and slammed his eyes shut to keep the formed tears at bay.

 

Tony ran a soothing hand over Gibbs’ chest “Shhh, it’s alright.  I’m right here.” Tony murmured tiredly into Gibbs’ ear, pressing gentle and reassuring kisses against the side of Gibbs’ head.

 

Gibbs nodded as he slowly relaxed in Tony’s arms again, “Where’s Callen?” Gibbs asked groggily, looking around their surroundings slowly as he took in the half-cave they were in, masked by thick bushes and large pine trees.

 

Tony sighed “He went to go see if he couldn’t find cell service, food, or any way for us to get out of here… And probably to take a leak, since that was the first thing he muttered when he woke up.” Tony said, chuckling slightly as he hooked his chin over Gibbs’ shoulder, looking around at the circle of bushes encompassing them.

 

Gibbs chuckled, but it tapered off into a rumbling cough – The cold had really affected his body, and he was sure to at least have bronchitis by the time they got out of here, then a thought struck him as he looked up at Tony “How are you feeling?” Gibbs asked quietly, his fingers curling around Tony’s wrist lightly.

 

Tony smiled as he pressed his lips to Gibbs’ temple tenderly “I’m okay… I’m cold, my back is stiff and my ass is numb… But, I’m good.” Tony said quietly, closing his eyes briefly, before hearing a rustle distantly in the bushes surrounding them.  Tony grabbed ahold of his Sig and clicked off the safety, aiming it towards the bushes and waiting on baited breath, as was Gibbs as he stared menacingly at the bush.

 

Callen stepped through the brush and grinned slightly “I found a cabin about a quarter of a mile from here – It’s completely abandoned but is definitely better than sleeping here another night.” Callen announced, and his grin grew wider as he looked at the relief on the faces of the two other agents.

 

Gibbs huffed out a breath of air “Great… Pack up and let’s get down there… You find any cell reception?” Gibbs asked as he held his hand out towards Callen.  Tony quickly slid out from behind Gibbs and with Callen’s help, the two men pulled Gibbs up to his feet, only staggering slightly when the three lost their balance.

 

Callen shook his head “I had about a small sliver of reception, but it disappeared quickly… I think we’re getting just a bit closer to civilization again with that ray of hope.” Callen stated as he began rolling up the blanket, while Tony busied himself with putting the pillows away into the bags.

 

After dousing the low flicker of flames in the fire, the three men, with Gibbs in the middle, his arms slung over Callen and Tony’s shoulders and his broken leg raised just slightly, they began their journey towards the cabin.  Callen had the bright idea of marking the path there and back with gauze tape from his first-aid kit, and plucked each piece off as they made their way further from their camp and closer to the cabin.

 

* * *

 

The cabin was small, offering only one bedroom and was sparsely furnished with only basic necessities, albeit very dusty necessities.  It looked like it had been abandoned decades ago, but it had a small kitchenette, a wood-burning fire place, a few chairs, one long couch and a large four-post wooden bed in the bedroom.  It was definitely an upgrade from both the cave and the rat-motel that they’d stayed in when they first got here.  The small cabin even had a bathroom, shower and all – even though the water was cold, it would serve its purpose to clean themselves if they had to stay here for longer than what they deemed necessary.

 

Tony was out investigating the area surrounding their newly acquired cabin, and Gibbs was lying on the couch and Callen was busying himself stoking a fire up in the brick fireplace “Callen… We have to… do something about my leg…” Gibbs gasped out, gripping at his splinted thigh.

 

Callen stood up from stoking the fire and turned towards Gibbs, hands on his hips “What exactly do you mean?” Callen asked, although he did have an idea of what Gibbs meant, he hardly wanted to think about it, knowing it would be extremely painful and stressful for all three men.

 

Gibbs sighed as he pushed up on his elbows “We need to set… my leg… Before infection sets in…” Gibbs stated, glaring at Callen with what could only be described as desperation and anger at the same time.

 

Callen nodded somberly, sitting down on the sturdy wooden coffee table “We’ll wait until Tony returns – and we can do it in the bedroom… You’ll likely pass out again from the pain.” Callen said, his voice a low whisper as he cradled his head in his hands – he _really_ didn’t want to do this, but he also knew Gibbs was right.  Osteomyelitis was not something that they could cure in their predicament, and the longer Gibbs’ bone marrow was flooding into his system, the more likely he would get infected.

 

When Tony returned twenty minutes later, he was grinning widely and almost bursting with excitement “I don’t know _when_ this place was abandoned, but it couldn’t have been too long ago!  They have solar panels on the roof, which means, there is electricity in this place!” Tony stated excitedly, bouncing on the tips of his toes and making it impossibly difficult to shed his thick winter coat.  When Tony finally got his winter clothing off – now that they could take it off from the heat provided in the fireplace – he noticed the somber looks on Gibbs and Callen’s faces “What’s wrong?  Did something _else_ happen while I was gone?” Tony asked, jerking his thumb towards the closed door.

 

Gibbs shook his head as he slowly sat up, beckoning Tony to come sit beside him and Tony did so obediently.  Gibbs turned to Tony and took both of the younger man’s hands in his own “There’s something that you and Callen have to do for me… Something that will be painful – for all of us – and I need to know that you can do it Tony.” Gibbs stated, keeping his voice even and calm as he looked into Tony’s eyes.

 

Tony inhaled deeply and nodded uncertainly “I will do what I can to help you… You know that.  I’m here for you.” Tony replied quietly, his fingers trembling slightly at the slight worry he saw in Gibbs’ eyes, even though the older man was trying to be the picture of calm and strong.

 

Gibbs nodded “We have to set my leg… It’s the only way to prevent infection.  It’s going to be painful as hell, but Tony – It _has_ to be done.” Gibbs said sternly, his blue eyes laser focused on Tony’s emerald green eyes as they drifted downward slightly “Please Tony.” Gibbs whispered quietly, a mixture of desperation in his voice.

 

Tony inhaled shakily and nodded his head slowly “Okay… Okay.” Tony said resolutely as he stood up, looking towards the bedroom then down at Gibbs “In the bedroom?” Tony questioned curiously.  Gibbs nodded as he set his hand against Callen’s shoulder, hoisting himself up onto unsteady feet.

 

Gibbs settled on the bed, looking around slightly nervous as Callen started unravelling his nearly perfect splint from Gibbs’ upper thigh.  Tony stood at Gibbs’ side and wrapped his hand around Gibbs’ “Gonna get you through this babe.  I promise.” Tony whispered as he leaned forward, kissing Gibbs lovingly on the lips, even as a few tears slid from his eyes and caused a wet friction between the two men’s cheeks.

 

Gibbs nodded as he reached over to the leather belt and shoved it into his mouth “Just get it done.” Gibbs grumbled, clenching his fists tightly around the bed and closing his eyes tightly.  Callen centered himself on the bed, and Tony stood on the other side as they both set their hands onto Gibbs’ leg.

 

The resounding scream of pure agony coming from Gibbs didn’t last very long as the older man passed out within a few seconds of his leg being pulled forcefully into place.  Tony looked pale and escaped from the room before he lost what little he had in his stomach, he absolutely hated hurting Gibbs, and this was now the second time he had to put Gibbs through the most excruciating pain that either man had ever experienced before, and that was saying a lot, considering their line of work and how many times they’d been shot, stabbed, and beaten.

 

Tony sat stiffly on the couch, staring into the flickering flames in the fireplace and soaking up the warmth it provided, even though the cold feeling he had now had nothing to do with the winter weather outside.  Callen came into the living room a few seconds later and sat beside Tony “We still have to do something for food – I’ve seen several wildlife, we have the weaponry to kill them…” Callen stated quietly, his own eyes locked onto the fire before them, he hated having to do that and felt sick to his own stomach as the slightly muffled scream of Gibbs’ pain echoed in his mind.

 

Tony nodded forcefully “I can cook, but capturing and skinning… That’s probably not something I can do.” Tony stated, his voice was void of any emotion as he tried processing everything that had happened since they got to the Russian compound.  He wanted to know how Gibbs had managed to get shot, when he was so far away from the compound all together; he wanted to know why him and Callen hadn’t been spotted when they were so much closer; and in the back of his mind, he wanted to know who had owned this cabin and if or when they would be returning to it.

 

* * *

 

As night once again descended upon them, Tony found himself sitting cross-legged in the bed, his iPad in his lap as he watched a nearly-muted movie, but for some reason he couldn’t take his eyes off of Gibbs’ chest as it rose and fell systematically with each breath he took.

 

Gibbs groaned painfully, his eyes slowly opening and settling on Tony’s face “How… are you… watching… movies?” Gibbs asked through labored breathes, his fingers clenching and unclenching against the sheets as he tried breathing through the searing pain that was coursing through his body.

 

Tony chuckled softly as he paused the movie and set his iPad aside, “I charged it – I guess you don’t remember me telling you, there’s solar panels on the roof of the cabin, so we have electricity.” Tony said quietly as he moved to lay down beside Gibbs, his head resting on Gibbs’ shoulder.

 

Gibbs shifted slightly, wrapping his arm around Tony’s shoulder “What’s on your mind?  Something is clearly bothering you.” Gibbs said quietly, moving his hand from Tony’s shoulder down to his hip, gently kneading into the firm muscles there.

 

Tony sighed as he curled his arm around Gibbs’ stomach “What happened up there?  How did you end up getting shot?” Tony asked quietly, looking up at Gibbs’ stubbled jaw.

 

Gibbs settled back against the headboard, “I honestly don’t know… Probably just a lucky shot, stray bullet… Didn’t see any snipers or anyone outside of the compound…” Gibbs said as he closed his eyes, trying to piece the scene together in his mind and see if he had went wrong somewhere.

 

Tony smiled slightly “Small miracles, Jethro.  Things could have been so much worse for all of us…” Tony whispered as he curled up against Gibbs’ side “This cabin is just one more miracle… And I’m glad we found it.” Tony said as he looked up at Gibbs with a smile.

 

Gibbs nodded, yawning widely as he looked down at Tony “Should get some more sleep… The pain is starting to… get unbearable again.” Gibbs stated, his breath hitching slightly as he snuggled deeper into the bed and closer to Tony’s body and warmth.

 

Tony nodded as he wrapped his arms around Gibbs’ body, running a soothing hand up and down Gibbs’ spine “Sleep is a good idea.” Tony whispered as he peppered the top of Gibbs’ head with soft kisses.  Tony continued his ministrations against Gibbs’ back until he felt his breathing even out.  Tony’s thoughts ran away in the silence of the cabin, thinking about the fact that they _needed_ to get out of the middle of the Russian forest, if not for their survival, then for the simple fact that Gibbs’ needed medical attention soon, because even with all that they’d done to prevent infection, Gibbs’ complexion had paled considerably and he was only getting weaker as the days went by and Tony’s worry for his lover was growing more every day that they were stuck in this winter wonderland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't very impressed with this chapter in the end, but it's finally here! I hope you like it though, and I'm sorry it took so long to get out.
> 
> I've decided that I'm going to finish this story completely before posting, so yes, unfortunately you will have to wait until it's done - but I also have a new story that will be coming out. It'll be much easier for me to write the stories, and once I deem them complete, I will be posting them, so I'm sorry that you all will have to wait to read from me but I hope that doesn't stop anyone from re-reading and enjoying my stories all over again!


	5. Chapter 5

The days in the cabin grew longer and started blending seamlessly together, the three men had been stuck in the middle of the Russian forest for six days now, slowly closing in on a full week. Callen had managed to take down a few deer, not too impressively big but large enough to provide meals for a few days beyond the week that they’d been there. Gibbs had also – during his times of consciousness – provided the necessary information to properly skin and clean the deer.

 

Also, whenever Gibbs managed to stay awake – which was roughly only ten minutes every few hours – he’d usually end up coughing or vomiting and passing out a few minutes later; he was feverish and after the first few days, coherent thoughts were reduced to just muttering things that either didn’t make sense, or did make sense but encompassed a time where Tony was not yet involved in Gibbs’ life, but Tony knew what the older man would sometimes incoherently speak about, and responded in kind to Gibbs’ ramblings.

 

Tony now stood in the open doorway of the bedroom, watching as Gibbs fidgeted against the bed, his fingers curling painfully in the sheet as whatever fever-induced nightmare was being played out in his mind, and it killed Tony, knowing he couldn’t do more than just offer support to his boyfriend as he writhed helplessly on the mattress, stuttered breathes escaping him. Tony pushed off the door frame and quickly laid down on the bed, cocooning Gibbs in his arms “Shhh, I’m right here, it’ll be alright.” Tony whispered against the older man’s ear soothingly.

 

Gibbs grasped onto Tony’s shirt tightly, gasping in pain and sobbing out “Wanna go home… please… just let me go home…” he whispered hoarsely, burying his head in the crook of Tony’s shoulder and neck as hot tears slid down his cheeks unconsciously.

 

Tony held onto Gibbs just a bit tighter as the older man’s body was wracked with shuddering sobs, “I know babe, I know… we’re working on it, I promise we are.” Tony whispered as he reassuringly and repeatedly kissed Gibbs’ temple to get him to calm back down.

 

Callen came into the room with a wet wash cloth and placed it against Gibbs’ forehead as he looked directly at Tony; something in Callen’s eyes made Tony realize there may be good news ahead and that spurred him towards a new sense of hope “Please, tell me you have something good?” Tony asked quietly as he gently soothed Gibbs back into a deep sleep that Tony knew the older man desperately needed to fight whatever infection was plaguing him.

 

Callen smiled slightly as he sat on the edge of the bed, “I do have something good to tell you actually.” Callen stated as he wrung his hands together “I followed the service road that leads to the cabin, and finally got enough service to place a call to the director.” Callen said as he looked up at Tony with his own surge of hope swelling in his chest.

 

Tony slowly lowered Gibbs back into the bed, now that he was back into a state of unconsciousness and then motioned for Callen to follow him out into the living room, pulling the door closed silently behind them “Tell me we’re getting out of this infernal hell-hole of ice and snow?” Tony asked harshly, his anger not aimed at Callen but at the situation in its entirety.

 

Callen nodded “We are. I told him everything and he’s sending in a bigger unit to take down Crane, and the entire KGB radical group at the compound. I told him the cabin only had road access and said that he’d send word out to a local hospital to bring an ambulance for us. So, yeah, we’re getting out of here soon.” Callen relayed as he sagged against the wall, breathing out a sigh of relief.

 

Tony inhaled deeply, nodding as he slid down the wall, cradling his head in his hands as tears of relief slid silently down his cheeks “S’good, I’m glad.” Tony said hoarsely, rubbing his palms against his thighs vigorously, then moved to stand back up “We should… pack up our stuff… Get ready to leave this place.” Tony stated definitively, even as he began hastily moving around the room to collect his and Gibbs’ personal belongings from the living room and kitchenette.

 

* * *

 

It had been a little over an hour since Callen had announced that they were being rescued from the frigid depths of the Russian forest and their safe-haven of the cabin when Tony heard the distinct sound of tires crunching on rock and snow outside. Tony grabbed his sig and headed for the front window of the bedroom, peering out to see a Russian ambulance and a black SUV pulling up in front of the cabin – waiting on baited breath and clicking the safety off his weapon, he watched as one man got out of the SUV, and two paramedics got out of the ambulance.

 

The man who got out of the SUV seemed vaguely familiar, but with all that has happened to him, to Gibbs and Callen, Tony was skeptical about anyone who came near the trio, even though they hadn’t had contact with another person in nearly two weeks. Callen comes into the bedroom, his own weapon drawn and held down beside his thigh “I think this is our transport back to civilization.” Callen announces in a hushed tone.

 

Tony nodded, casting a weary glance in Gibbs’ direction; he hadn’t woken up in a while and Tony was growing more worried by the pale complexion and the sheen of sweat that was covering Gibbs’ body. “I don’t know if I trust them… I don’t know if I can.” Tony stated, his hand with the gun shaking slightly as he turned back to the bed.

 

Callen shuffled silently across the hardwood floors of the cabin “Ride with him in the ambulance. I’ll ride with the other guy, and if anything happens… At least you will be with him.” Callen stated, nodding towards Gibbs with a meaningful look in his eyes.

 

Tony inhaled deeply, then let the breath out slowly as he nodded his head; it wasn’t logical, letting the new guy go off on his own, but the logical part of his brain knew that Callen could handle himself, and has done so in the past. Tony sighed “Yeah, alright… Let’s go see if our visitors would like to come in.” Tony said as he shoved his gun in the back of his jeans and headed for the front room where the knocking on the door could be heard clearly now.

 

Tony pulled the front door open slowly, peering out and shivering as the frigid winter air forced its way into the cabin “Agent DiNozzo, Agent Callen – I’m Sean Lassiter with the US Embassy in Moscow.” Lassiter introduced professionally, looking at the two men who stood in the barely cracked open door, he then slowly procured a business card, offering it to Tony.

 

Tony cautiously took hold of the card, and handed it backwards to Callen who took it and read it over “Foreign Services Officer Sean Lassiter. Cards legit Tony.” Callen confirmed, his voice barely above a whisper that only carried to Tony’s ears.

 

Tony nodded as he pulled open the door, allowing Sean and the two paramedics into the cabin “Gibbs is in the bedroom – He hasn’t woken up in a little over two hours now. He needs to be seen by a doctor as soon as humanly possible.” Tony stated, guiding the two paramedics and Lassiter into the bedroom.

 

The paramedics pushed past Tony quickly and moved to stand beside Gibbs’ prone form, speaking in rapid Russian, they hooked him up to an IV bag of Saline and antibiotics, as well as a portable oxygen mask and machine. Tony looked helplessly on as the two men quickly moved Gibbs from the bed and onto the backboard that they had brought in, he heard Callen and Lassiter speaking in the other room, but everything sounded like white noise to him as he watched Gibbs’ body, so still and lifeless looking, being moved from the bed and onto a stretcher.

 

Before Tony knew what was happening, his feet were moving and he was sitting in the back of the ambulance, there was a flurry of activities that he barely saw, his attentions were locked on Gibbs’ face, watching as color slowly began coloring his cheeks once again, as blood began circulating properly once again. Tony grasped onto Gibbs’ hand lightly, leaning down so their foreheads connected “Love you Jethro…” Tony whispered as he pressed a gentle kiss to Gibbs’ cheek.

 

One of the paramedics joined Tony in the back of the ambulance “We will be transporting to a medical helicopter that is in a clearing just a few kilometers from here. From there we transport to a hospital that will be able to help him. Okay?” the man said, his English not nearly as good as what his Russian is, but still somehow understandable even through the thick accent.

 

Tony nodded his head numbly, glancing up at the paramedic briefly “Okay… Okay.” Tony whispered as he closed his eyes and held just a bit tighter to Gibbs’ hand to reassure the both of them that they were going to get through this and they would be okay in the end.

 

* * *

 

The two rides – ambulance and helicopter – took a little more than two hours combined to get to the nearest hospital, especially with winds picking up and more snow began to fall, but Tony hadn’t concentrated on their surroundings, his only concerns were that of Gibbs, the older man still hadn’t woken up and it was closing in on five hours now since the last time the couple had spoken.

 

Tony’s worry continued to grow once they arrived at the hospital and Gibbs was immediately whisked away in a rush of Russian words from the paramedics and medical staff, forcing Tony to stay behind and wait in the waiting area and stare at the emergency doors where his boyfriend was being attended too.

 

Pacing hadn’t helped, yelling at the receptionist – who had no idea what he was saying – hadn’t helped, tugging his hair did nothing to alleviate the migraine that was forming, nor did it help the worry as it continued building. The hours drug by slowly, and Tony barely noticed when Callen and Lassiter joined him in the hospital as he stared blankly at the emergency bay doors, waiting for someone to tell him what the hell was going on since the last time a doctor came out, requesting that he give permission for surgery. Tony vaguely remembered the doctor, and the conversation, as he signed the waivers and returned to sitting on the awkward pea-green leather couch that was directly in front of the doors, and that was nearly six hours ago.

 

By the eighth hour, Tony had yet again grown restless, pacing the length of the hospital’s waiting room and glaring menacingly at anyone who dared block his path or even tried offering him any sort of comfort – whether in food, drink or conversation. A short man with blue medical scrubs, covered in endless amounts of drying blood came out of the emergency bay doors “Agent DiNozzo…” he called, his thick Russian accent carrying in the empty waiting room.

 

Tony’s head shot up from his chest as he quickly made his way over to the doctor – the one who had requested surgeries for Gibbs several hours ago – “How is he?!” Tony demanded, taking in the blood-soaked clothing of the surgeon, an uneasy feeling sweeping across his body and settling like a boulder in his stomach.

 

The doctor nodded his head subtly “He is in recovery. Lost a lot of blood but he is getting transfusions and we will be moving him to a room within a few hours. If you would like to see him, and we can further discuss his injuries?" the doctor offered, holding his arm outward as if to show the way. Tony nodded and followed the doctor, casting one last glance backwards at Callen and Lassiter to let them know he was leaving them, they each gave him a nod and Tony turned back to follow the scrub-and-blood covered surgeon to the recovery ward.

 

Tony wrung the bottom of his coat in his fingers as he walked into the recovery room, his eyes instantly locking onto the pale features of Gibbs' face - As the doctor had mentioned, he definitely looked like he had lost a lot of blood, there was no color to those normally rosy cheeks, and the ghost white sheet did nothing to help Gibbs' features, nor did his gray hair.

 

Tony settled beside Gibbs' hospital bed, securing his fingers lightly around Gibbs' hand and then looked up expectantly at the doctor, silently urging him to explain what was wrong with his boyfriend. The doctor pulled up a stool, grabbing a metal clipboard with several sheets of paper attached “So, starting with his shoulder – the cauterization was a valiant effort and saved his life, although there will be a substantial amount of rehab in his future, the bullet tore through some muscle and he'll need to work on getting strength back in that arm.” the doctor began, flipping through a few pages in Gibbs' charts “His leg and hip however, are another story... While setting the bone in his leg helped, he had a micro-fracture in his hip bone that neither of you would have been able to see, he did develop Osteomyelitis and we have him on high-dose antibiotics to fight the infection. For his leg, we had to use seven screws and a metal plate to keep the bone in place. Agent Gibbs also developed bronchitis, which with the antibiotics treating the Osteomyelitis, that infection should clear up within a few days. Once he's awake and lucid, we'll be able to tell if there are any other problems that our tests couldn't perform, and then we'll also decide on his suitability to be transferred back to the states to further his rehabilitation, but we definitely want to get the Osteo and bronchitis under control before we send him anywhere.” the doctor concluded, settling the clipboard in his lap and looking at Tony to see if he had any further questions.

 

Tony had heard all he needed to know though, Gibbs was going to be fine after extensive rehab and they'd be going back home soon. Knowing Gibbs, he'd want to go home as soon as he woke up and Tony knew he'd had to convince the older man that staying for at least a little while; at least until Gibbs was over the bronchitis. “Thank you... Doc.” Tony finally whispered as he turned back to Gibbs, lying a gentle kiss on the older man's forehead, then smoothing back the hair that had fallen on his forehead.

 

* * *

 

Hours continued to trickle by with Gibbs remaining stoically silent and unconscious, he'd been moved from the recovery ward up to ICU, and onto a larger bed where Tony was easily able to get on and curl up beside his lover, watching as pain lines etched across Gibbs' face every time the older man's body involuntarily twitched with muscle spasms.

 

Tony had been able to call Director Vance and explain what was happening with Gibbs and Vance also relayed that the larger military group that they’d sent into the KGB compound had arrested a lot of the Russian militants that were on the grounds, however Randall Crane and one other man had escaped and were now in the wind – There was one other piece of information that Vance gave Tony, and it unnerved him but he also wanted to talk to Gibbs about it, so he would wait and see what Gibbs had to say.

 

Tony sighed as he flipped through the channels on the TV – something he’d done a dozen times already, knowing he wouldn’t find anything in English, but it was the only thing he could do at this point. “S’annoying.” Gibbs mumbled, turning bleary and sleepy eyes in Tony’s direction and blinking slowly to get the younger man’s features into focus.

 

Tony chuckled as he turned the TV off and then turned towards Gibbs “Sorry. Was just waiting for you to wake up.” Tony said, smiling slightly – hoping for a reassuring grin, but somehow it felt forced and fake even to himself, despite having spent so many years honing his masks of confidence and diversions.

 

Gibbs opened his mouth a few times, feeling that slimy gummy feeling filling his mouth – Tony noticed and quickly grabbed the cup of water, helping to place the straw between Gibbs’ lips so he could take a few sips until the cotton mouth feeling dissipated. “Why were you waiting for me?” Gibbs asked quietly, his voice still roughened from having not spoken in so long.

 

Tony inhaled shakily as he sat up on the bed and turned to face Gibbs, taking a hold of his hand lightly “I spoke with Vance earlier today… Maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know… anyway...” Tony shook his head and lowered his chin to his chest as he took a few steadying breaths “The team that Vance sent in after our… run-in with the KGB… arrested a large portion of the radicals, but two of them got away – Crane was one of them, the other was a high-ranking member and neither of them have been located yet.” Tony stated, rubbing his thumb over the back of Gibbs’ hand slowly “I figured out why Randall Crane sounded familiar to me, and why you wanted to save his life...” Tony whispered, biting back his bottom lip slowly.

 

Gibbs sighed slightly “There was never… anything romantic between us… If that’s what you were thinking...” Gibbs started, turning his hand over to interlock his fingers with Tony’s “We were partnered together immediately after Franks quit NIS, and we soon became best friends… We did a lot of the things that you and I used to do… before our relationship, I mean… Steaks, games, everything...” Gibbs released Tony’s hand and clamped his own together in his lap “When I heard he was held captive by Russian’s, I didn’t think anything of it… I knew he had an obsession with Russian culture and had a bloodline from Russia, but I didn’t… I never thought that he would _ever_ become a part of it, not like this….” Gibbs finished with a shuddering sigh as he pulled himself up slowly into a seated position, wincing painfully from the pull in his leg.

 

Tony frowned as he grasped both of Gibbs’ hands in his “Him becoming a radical leader, or whatever the hell he is… It’s _not_ your fault. You didn’t do this to him.” Tony said quietly but firmly, confidently, as he lifted Gibbs’ hands up to his lips and kissing them reverently.

 

Gibbs snorted disdainfully “Yes I did…” he stated, pulling his hands away from Tony yet again “Just listen… I’m not finished.” he added, looking directly at Tony with unshed tears dancing in his eyes “When Shannon and Kelly were killed… Franks was there, helped pick up the pieces in a way… And then Franks left NIS, threw me into the water with no life preserver and… I tried closing myself off again after that and then Randall was there… just joined NCIS, looking for someone to just get to know really and I took him under my wing… We became close for a while, then about a year and a half later, he started shutting down, said he didn’t want to be in DC anymore, and I mean, I get it… His family was killed, that’s why we bonded so well, and he just wanted to get away from it, so he transferred out and I haven’t heard from him since...” Gibbs said, breathing out a heavy breath of air as he turned his head down, silent tears finally tracking down his cheeks.

 

Tony shook his head as he cupped Gibbs’ cheek, brushing away the tears with the pad of his thumb “I still don’t see how any of this is your fault, Jethro. You couldn’t have seen what he would have done with his life after leaving DC. You’re not responsible for Crane’s decisions babe, you couldn’t have predicted this.” Tony stated adamantly as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Gibbs’.

 

Gibbs nodded slowly, he knew Tony was right about this, but he still couldn’t help but feeling some sense of guilt over this “I could have helped him maybe, had I known… Kept him on the straight and narrow, talked him through whatever problems he was having...” Gibbs whispered hoarsely.

 

Tony sighed as he kissed the top of Gibbs’ head gently “I don’t know if you could have helped him or not, but I do know that whatever he did after leaving DC was _not_ on you. I’ll say it a million times if I have too, until you believe me… This was not your fault! Crane made his own choice to betray his country.” Tony stated, the words getting clogged in his throat as he stared into the pained expression of his boyfriend’s eyes. Tony knew that pain all too well, having had a partner who betrayed not only him but the moral and ethics that law enforcement officials should stand for, this would be harder for Gibbs to get over than his physical injuries and Tony made an internal vow that he wouldn’t let Gibbs down or let him lose sight of the bigger picture.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter took a while to get out and i apologize for that - but I have to warn you that there is a surprise guest within this chapter, and some of you MAY freak the hell out, but please don't? More on the surprise guest will be made available in the end notes, but don't skip ahead to that or you'll just spoil it for yourself!!!
> 
> Side Note: i don't have a beta and am currently seeking one out because I have noticed (time and time again) that I make mistakes all over the fucking place, and I could really use some extra eyes to go over my writings, so if anyone would like to fill for the position; Email me (Sarah.Patterson260@hotmail.com) or if you have skype, add me (sazzy260)!!!

In the middle of the night, the hospital was quiet, only the sound of soft snores and the echoing of heart-rate monitors filled the air.  The man wore a heavy black coat and worn jeans, he didn’t look out of place by that much, and even at midnight there were always visitors or homeless people walking through the halls just to keep warm through the winter nights.

 

The man walked to the nurses station on the second floor of the hospital, smiling charmingly at the two nurses who were handling the desk duty operations “How can we help you?” the older of the two nurses asked in a gentle, and quite, voice as she looked at the man.

 

The man nodded as he withdrew an envelope from his pocket “I won’t stay too long, you see, an old friend of mine was admitted here a few nights ago and I just wanted to leave this card for him.  I do not intend on disturbing him, I would just like to leave this for him.  His name is Jethro Gibbs...” the man said, his voice only slightly tinged with a Russian accent.

 

The older nurse nodded, smiling sadly “Yes of course, just as long as you are silent, do not wake him or his young companions – He is in room 213.” the nurse said as she pointed the man in the direction he should take.

 

The man nodded briefly, silently walking down the hall as he thought about Jethro Gibbs and his two young companions, who could they possibly be and what was their connection to the older man? Were they security details?  Surely not if they were sleeping, that would be bad security entirely.  The man sighed as he finally came across room 213, he peered in through the slightly ajar door, noticing that one of the younger men was sound asleep on the bed, curled up against Gibbs’ side, and the other young man was curled up in the chair, his hand resting on the bed and covered by Gibbs’ hand, their fingers intertwined.  Gibbs himself was out cold, his cheek resting on top of the brown-haired man’s head, the man furrowed his brows as he looked at the three men; how could Gibbs be so happy?  So in love, with apparently more than one person, when he was suffering still, suffering the loss of his entire family… the man clenched the envelope tightly in his hand, balling it up and tossing it onto the floor before storming off down the hall.

 

Callen snorted, jolting awake from the sudden movement he heard from outside of the hospital’s room door, he tried getting up to investigate, but was held still by a warm heat holding onto his hand tightly, he followed the length of his arm with his eyes, and smiled slightly as he looked at his hand that was intertwined with Gibbs’ hand, shaking his head as he curled back up in the recliner chair, tightening his hold ever so slightly on Gibbs’ hand as he fell back asleep – whatever was outside of their room, was no longer there, probably just a nurse checking on them, he thought, as he drifted off into dreamless oblivion.

 

* * *

 

 

Gibbs woke up at his normal five o’clock in the morning, feeling the weight of Tony against his uninjured side, and the weight of Callen’s hand around his.  They had become much closer in the past three days that they’d been at the hospital, Callen becoming a permanent fixture on the recliner he was currently sleeping in, sometimes Callen and Tony would switch spots and Callen would lay curled up on his side, it was a nice arrangement and somehow, being with both men seemed… right.

 

Gibbs didn’t know how he could get so lucky to have one man love him unconditionally – Tony – and Callen who was learning to love them both, unconditionally.  But, he was definitely a lucky bastard to have two faithful companions by his side through what would be seen as difficult times ahead.

 

Tony snorted slightly as he turned his head up to look at Gibbs “You’re thinking too much… Hopefully good thoughts?” Tony whispered, resting his chin on Gibbs’ bicep to have a better view of the older man.

 

Gibbs nodded as he pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead “Just thinking of the two most important men in my life.” Gibbs replied in a whisper, neither man wanting to wake Callen who had a lot more trouble sleeping than most people would have known about him.

 

Tony laid his head back down and snuggled into the warmth that Gibbs’ body seemed to always hold, listening to the whirring of machines, the crackled breathing from Gibbs’ lungs, the soft snort-like snores that echoed from Callen’s side of the room as thoughts of the three of them swirled around in his mind – He too felt the luck and love that Gibbs had been experiencing, there was nothing quite like being in a relationship with Gibbs, but Callen, for all of his broody behaviors and mysteries, brought along a new sense of adventure, even if all they’d done so far was lie in hospital beds and share an occasional kiss with one another when no other persons were around.

 

Tony knew the odds of falling in love and staying in love, he’d had many heart-breaks from the time he started dating at fourteen to know that lover’s never stuck around long enough to see beneath his shiny surface to see the cracks and the rust, but somehow… Tony had managed to capture the heart of not only one man, but now they were slowly encompassing Callen into the fold and welcoming him with arms wide open.

 

Callen looked through half-masted eyes at the two men lying on the hospital bed together, then down at his own encompassed hand, they didn’t know he was awake nor that he’d been listening to their brief conversation.  How was it possible that he’d found love in such a fucked up situation such as this?  Not that he was hopelessly in love with either man as it was, but he could feel something shifting inside of him, something that told him that this wasn’t just for ‘until he found someone better’ but could quite possibly be something that would last him a lifetime.

 

He didn’t quite understand how he’d fallen for both men, but having spent two weeks in seclusion with the men, holding Tony when the younger man couldn’t stand all the pain, or helping Gibbs when Tony couldn’t bear to even be in the room, he somehow found all of it domestic and comforting, even in the depths of the Russian forest, and now, here in this moment, he was surrounded by warmth and comfort himself, feeling loved for the first time ever since he was brought into Hetty’s life, and that was such a long time ago and such a distant memory that he hardly believed it ever happened now.  But now he had two men who would probably – no, they _would_ – go to hell and back just to make sure he was safe, even if he were harmed, he knew they would do anything to protect him and show him the love that he had once expected from other people, but knew they were just false pretenses, substitutes for this… This was the real thing, and that made Callen grin a bit, turning sleepily in the recliner and adjusting his position, his fingers tightening minutely in Gibbs’ grasp.

 

* * *

 

 

The man ran a hand through his hair furiously as he paced back and forth in the abandoned warehouse, cursing and muttering in Russian. “I cannot believe him!” he spat out, kicking an old paint can clear across the warehouse, satisfied in the sound that it made when it hit the metal siding of the warehouse walls.

 

“What did you expect?  For him to remain single and unloved for as long as you?” a woman dressed in all black sneered, then coughed viciously into her fist as she wheeled herself out of the darkened corner of the warehouse to confront the man in front of her.

 

The man shrugged as he settled on one of the old crates, wincing as it groaned it’s protest from his weight bearing down on it “I had thought it was possible, after Franks left him, he was so torn up about pretty much everything… Didn’t think he would know how to function as an NCIS agent again, let alone a human being.” The man scoffed, shaking his head as he slumped down in his spot on the crate “It’s almost not worth it Jen, why are we doing this?” he asked, glancing over at the sickly woman who was fiddling with her wheelchair.

 

Jen looked up sharply and rolled herself quickly over to the man, slamming her fist down on his kneecap, although it was hardly something painful, given her weakened strength, it was more to get his attention “Randy, we’re doing this because he’s _hurt_ us… Moved on when we needed him the most!  He claims that he’d never leave a man behind… Marine code and all… but he lied to us, continued lying to us, and is _still_ lying to us!” Jennifer Sheppard – former NCIS Director – hissed, slapping Randall Crane again on the knee as she pushed away from him a few inches again.

 

Randall sighed and lowered his head, nodding slowly “I know that, believe me I do… But, he’s happy Jen, like so happy that he even let his guard down, and you _know_ that never happens!” Randall retorted, looking back up into Jen’s angry eyes.  He knew working with Jen was a bad idea, she had been deteriorating slowly ever since escaping from that diner in California, her brain and body riddled with cancers that were slowly eating away at her, making her more insane than she had ever been before, but when he looked at her perspective from how she saw Jethro Gibbs, he could actually concede some of her points, he had abandoned them in his own way.

 

Jen remained smug and quiet as she studied Randall, her fingers spasmed painfully and she had to clamp her other hand over her fingers to keep them from moving so much.  Jen knew she was dying, had known for a long time, being almost killed in that dank diner in California was a wake-up call, she still couldn’t remember how she survived, but she had and now she was dedicated to exacting her revenge on all of the people who had wronged her in her life, and so far she’d been successful, but Jethro Gibbs was one man who was harder to con than anyone she’d ever met, thus using Randall Crane as her scapegoat, it was a perfect solution – Gibbs would do anything to try and help Randall, and Randall was still so pissed at Gibbs for abandoning him, that he always easily agreed to whatever whimsical thing that Jen wanted to do in order to hurt Gibbs.

 

* * *

 

 

The morning breakfast cart stopped outside of Gibbs’ hospital room, the young nurse’s aide bent over by the door, picking up the envelope and then walked into the hospital room with three trays stacked on top of one another “Good morning Agent Gibbs, Callen and DiNozzo!” she replied happily as she handed out the three trays to the men, she then held out the envelope “I found this outside of your room, your name is on it, but… I don’t know how or why it was out there and not in here.” She said, almost apologetically, as if were somehow her fault that the envelope was outside of the room.

 

Gibbs shrugged, grunting as he took the envelope, muttering ‘thanks’ under his breath and effectively dismissing the young lady from the room.  Once she was gone, Gibbs flipped the envelope around in his fingers a few times, contemplating opening it up or just chucking it across the room – Nobody but Tony, Callen and Lassiter knew the hospital he was in, well, aside from Vance who ‘demanded’ to know everything the minute it practically happened.

 

Tony and Callen looked cautious and nervous as Gibbs slowly pulled the flap open on the unsealed envelope and pulled the card out.  On the front was a few white roses and in gold shimmer paint said ‘Get Well Soon’.  When Gibbs opened the envelope, he shook his head at the messy scrawl, years of reading Tony’s similar scrawl made it easy to interpret but without his glasses, he was unable to make out the words so instinctually he handed it over to Tony, whose hand was out and waiting patiently for the card.

 

Tony read the card over briefly then sighed “Dear Jethro, I know we haven’t spoken in so long, but I hope you will give me the chance to explain myself.  What you may have seen, is not what it looks like.  I’ve been forced into this life and I’ve been trying to find a way out, I had a friend send out that encrypted message, in hopes that you would find me.  You will never know the level of guilt and sorrow I feel that you were injured in the process, I hope that you will forgive me for my sins and see that I am waiting to be rescued, even if I am brought up on charges of treason – I deserve that, I know I do.  If you could see it through my eyes, somehow understand… then call me.” Tony read the letter “And then there is a number… It’s signed by R. Crane…” Tony concluded, looking over at Gibbs and Callen.

 

Gibbs snorted and shook his head, pushing away the soggy pancakes and bland scrambled eggs from his lap, “That’s a load of bull and you both know it… If he tries contacting either of us, or coming back to the hospital – I want him arrested and brought up on every damn charge you can throw at him!” Gibbs growled, anger practically seeping out of every pore on the older man’s body.

 

Tony nodded as he got up, discarding his own disgusting looking breakfast, he collected all three trays, knowing neither man would willingly subject themselves to the hospital food served to them “I’ll go secure some real breakfast and inform hospital staff and security about Crane.” Tony stated as he headed out of the hospital room to do as he said.

 

Callen took this chance to get out of the recliner and stretch his body out before joining Gibbs on the empty space created on the bed.  Gibbs immediately wrapped his arms around Callen’s body and pulled the younger man against him, grateful that Callen instantly curled up around him and smiled into his chest “I know it seems strange… shit like this happens to us almost daily though, Tony and I have a lot of enemies, known and unknown alike… I’m sure you have some too, in fact, I know you have a lot of enemies as well, but none have gone to these lengths, have they?” Gibbs asked softly, one hand resting on the back of Callen’s head as he gently stroked the short spikey hairs.

 

Callen shook his head slowly, wrapping his arm around Gibbs’ stomach “No… Haven’t experienced anything quite like this before.  Criminals trying to play nice… What do you think he’d end up doing if you called him?” Callen asked curiously – He probably knew what would happen, but hearing Gibbs’ take on things was new for him and he loved the older man’s knowledge and insight into certain subjects.

 

Gibbs huffed out a breath as he continued stroking Callen’s head, relaxing the younger man and himself at the same time “Well, no doubt he’d try and set up a meet.  So, hypothetically speaking, if I went to this meet – He would either start off keeping with his lie, trying to convince me he wasn’t involved.  It wouldn’t work, but Randall would know this, and then he would probably do something equally stupid like try and take me hostage, try and take down more people, whoever came to try and rescue me… It might be an elaborate scheme or could be hastily put together, in which case it would be sloppy, but he’d end up messing up… Giving me an opening to escape…” Gibbs shrugged, lying back in the hospital bed and cradling Callen’s head against his chest.

 

Callen nodded slowly against Gibbs’ chest; he could see the scenarios play out in his own mind as well, and they both seemed logically sound in the way that Gibbs explained it.  “Yeah, I can see those things happening… You’re really good at this kind of stuff, ya know?” Callen asked, looking up at Gibbs with a small smile on his face.

 

Gibbs chuckled softly as he leaned down, capturing Callen’s lips in a gentle but passionate kiss; it lasted for only a few seconds but Callen was flushed and breathing just a little harsher than before now “I’ve been doing this for a long time, G… It’s inevitable that I would be good at it.” Gibbs said as he laid back in the bed, grinning to himself as he looked up at the bland white ceiling tiles.

 

Callen snorted slightly as he thought about Gibbs’ actions and words, he knew that the man was more accurately talking about his time at NCIS and even in the Marine Corps, but somehow with the way that Gibbs had just kissed him, he could also put that into the same context, then looking up at the older man and seeing the smug grin on his face, Callen knew that that was exactly what Gibbs wanted him thinking about, distracting him from the fact that even though they were no longer deserted in the middle of a forest, that they were still in a lot of danger from Randall Crane and whoever else may be behind this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know... I'm absolutely terrible for bringing back the red-headed witch, or better known as Jen Sheppard, and yes I also realize that she technically died but... I am who I am and the muse always seems to have a mind of it's own when it comes to writing so Jen did not die and she is still living somehow, albeit very closely to death -- If you guessed that someone was out to get Gibbs, then boy were you right ;) lol... Don't kill me for this, ok? I have creative licenses here that say I can do as I please!!!


	7. Chapter 7

Randall paced back and forth in his apartment, muttering to himself as he thought about what he had done a few days ago; “ _Gibbs isn’t going to fall for that damn letter, even if he got it… He’s not going to fall for it, I know he won’t… He’s too smart, he’s got those two younger guys with him… He’ll never meet me…”_ he rambled on, repeating the same sentences again and again.

 

Occasionally Randall would glance over at Jen who was asleep on one of the two beds in the small apartment, the oxygen machine took up a great portion of the bedroom and was noisy as hell – he hated it, every single aspect of it; he hated living with Jen… Actually, he absolutely hated Jen, but they were all each other had and he couldn’t… wouldn’t… kick her out, not as sick as she was in the late stages of her cancer.

 

Randall sighed as he walked over to the bed, gently shaking Jen’s shoulder until the older woman was awake “It’s time we headed to the hospital…” Randall said quietly, even as he began stripping the blankets back “And, I know it’s not a good idea to go, but you need to see your doctor, Jen… it’s been time for a long time.” Randall added as he helped the fragile woman up from her prone position, into a sitting one.

 

Jen inhaled shakily as she grasped onto Randall’s forearms, “I know, I know… They won’t see us, if we go?” Jen asked warily as she looked up at the younger man in front of her, as the two of them began shuffling together towards her wheelchair.

 

Randall shook his head, smiling in spite of himself as he lowered Jen into her chair “They won’t see us, not unless you want them too…” Randall said as he laid the blanket over Jen’s legs, giving the older woman a once over as he settled her feet onto the footplates carefully.

 

Jen had lost so much weight, especially in the last couple of years, her hair was so thin, or non-existent in places; Nobody would recognize her, Randall had hardly recognized her all those years ago when his brother – of no real blood relation – had brought Jen over from America after the attack in that dank diner.  Jen was not herself anymore, she had lost not only her appearances but a lot of the wit she once had when they had worked together back in NCIS.

 

Randall and Jen remained silent as they headed out of the apartment and down to Randall’s SUV “I would at least like to see him… I don’t want to actually talk to him, but I want to at least see him… See how well he’s doing for himself, for myself…” Jen said shakily, her voice cutting off into a wet hacking cough afterwards.

 

Randall didn’t know what to say to that, so he simply nodded as he drove the car in the direction of the hospital; he really did not want to see Gibbs and those two young men again, to see how happy the older man was, it was unbearable and he just couldn’t handle that Gibbs was happy with how his life had turned out when he was so miserable after losing his wife, his children, everyone he loved was gone and he had never been able to move on from that, and he hated seeing that Gibbs moved on.

 

* * *

 

 

_Gibbs laughed as he watched Tony and Callen parade around the room, a bright and wide smile on his face as the two younger men gathered the supplies for what they were preparing to do “Did you two clear this with the nursing staff, and the doctor?” Gibbs asked curiously as he shifted his upper body carefully on the bed._

_Tony giggled as he dropped a few cloths on the bed and nodded his head “Well… yeah, I cleared it with your nurse, but not the doctor… Is that going to be a problem?” Tony questioned as he took the towels that Callen was handing him, setting them on the rolling tray table._

_Gibbs shook his head slowly as he adjusted the bed into a flat position, “Nah, no arguments here.” He replied as he closed his eyes and allowed Callen and Tony to begin stripping off his hospital gown._

_Tony carefully laid a towel over Gibbs’ private sections and then looked up at Callen who was lying wash cloths in the warm water “This is probably going to turn out like that time when you had to give me a shower…” Tony commented as he looked around the room – He had shut the door and even pulled the privacy curtain, but nothing would stop Gibbs’ reaction once they started touching him._

_Callen wrung out the first cloth and handed it over to Tony, he then did the same for himself; with both men standing on either side of Gibbs, they both set a cloth down onto the older man’s shoulders and began carefully, but firmly, moving the cloth over his skin._

_Gibbs watched with rapt fascination as his two lovers cleaned him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to watch much longer or else he’d well and truly be in trouble, no matter how much Tony tried covering him up.  Once Tony and Callen started washing his chest, more specifically his nipples, his cock started paying attention and started growing - effectively tenting the wash cloth.  Gibbs groaned as Tony took notice and slowed his movements down “You’re being an ass…” Gibbs grumbled, having already shut his eyes so he could focus on staying in control of himself and his breathing._

_Tony chuckled as he leaned down to Gibbs’ ear “Now you know how I feel.” Tony whispered before he took ahold of Gibbs’ earlobe and gently nibbled on it, causing Gibbs to moan out, his fingers gripping into the mattress as he arched off the bed slightly; but hardly enough to cause any further damage to his broken hip and leg._

_Callen chuckled quietly as he continued washing Gibbs’ body – like they were meant to be doing – although he was overwhelmingly close to Gibbs’ cock now, and the older man’s arousal was filtering through the air like a musky cologne “We probably shouldn’t leave him like this… it would be unfair of us.” Callen commented as he slowly lifted the cloth that was just barely covering Gibbs’ cock now._

_Gibbs’ eyes popped open in a flash as he looked down at his uncovered cock, watching as Callen took him in hand and began slowly stroking his length – he couldn’t form sentences, hell, he couldn’t even think of words right now as he watched Tony leave his ear to join Callen, both men shared a glance and then leaned into each other, their mouths fusing together in a passion-filled kiss as they both began stroking Gibbs’ cock; Gibbs moaned helplessly as he pushed his body upwards, trying to gain more friction from Tony and Callen’s very talented hands._

_Tony and Callen were whispering to one another and Gibbs was having a hard time hearing either man, they seemed to be having a conversation in their own little world as they continued torturing Gibbs with their deliberately slow strokes on his cock and now rolling his balls in one hand – He had no idea what they were planning, and he gasped loudly when Callen’s head went down and engulfed his cock into a tight and warm heat, Callen had only claimed the head of his cock with his mouth but GOD was he talented.  Gibbs fought hard for what little control he had left as he reached one hand down and rested it in the short strands of Callen’s head “Tony…” Gibbs rasped out; he still couldn’t form coherent thoughts, and he didn’t even care – He knew Tony would know what he wanted, what he needed._

 

* * *

 

 

Gibbs was rudely woken from his dream when he felt a pair of eyes watching him – he didn’t dare open his eyes and managed to continue breathing as if he were still asleep; just barely opening his eyes he surveyed his hospital room.  Callen was still out of the room, probably getting them dinner, and Tony was in the bathroom; he was thankful for that fact, as he stared unnoticed at the frail woman sitting across from his hospital bed.

 

He thought she looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place who exactly she was, although he quickly abandoned that thought, he was in a small town of Russia, nobody even _knew_ he was here – So, how could someone he may have met before, know where he was at this moment?  Aside from Randall Crane, and he didn’t think that Randall would go so far as to send a sickly old woman to come and kill him, that just wasn’t in Crane’s wheelhouse.

 

The sick woman shook her head slowly, “It’s such a shame, really…” she said, and Gibbs’ – if he weren’t a trained agent - would have gasped when those words were spoken out of _that_ mouth, he should have been shocked, really he should have been, but when Jen had ‘died’ things just didn’t add up… They had _never_ found her body in the wreckage to begin with, and the _one_ witness they did have, he turned up dead a few days later, so it was all just hearsay and circumstantial evidence, at its best, despite all the bullet holes and other dead people at the diner.

 

Gibbs watched Jen under the thin veil of his eyelashes, his eyes barely slit open as he focused on her; he knew if he alerted her, she would either bolt or do something drastic, and in her fragile state, he didn’t think it would be much to harm him, but more harm would probably be done to herself – He’d let this play out as it was meant to be and just hope that Tony was listening into the one-sided conversation.  “You know, you could have… had a lot more… Could have become… something so much more…” Jen rasped on, not aware of the fact that both Gibbs and Tony were listening to her “Randy said you had two new lovers… two men…” Jen snorted in disgust, shaking her head and coughing viciously into her closed fist.

 

Gibbs had to fight hard with himself to keep quiet, normally he would have had a snarky comeback to anyone who questioned his love interest, especially someone he as much loathed as Jennifer Shepard; he’d been ever grateful when he finally decided to leave that one behind.  But Jen is still talking, her words are like white-noise to Gibbs as he focuses more on the wall behind her head than on her directly, his eyes are still mostly closed and if he knows Tony, he knows that the younger man is more than likely recording every word that Jen is speaking at this moment with his cellphone, because that was just the type of man Tony was; especially after last year – Tony had begun recording all conversations he had with anyone, witnesses, suspects, hell he even had recordings of people he just met randomly through day-to-day actions.

 

It should have been bothersome, and Gibbs probably should have addressed it with the younger man, but he couldn’t bring himself to bringing it up, considering those recordings had come in handy a time or two when they were working; especially when Tony was going through his recovery phases and all he _could_ do was interview people at the office.  Tony even had his work phone set up for recording conversations, so everything was documented and they had caught several criminals in the act of scheming; Gibbs had even considered having all of the team – himself included – to start recording everything that went on, but he wouldn’t do it, because he’d probably never remember how and things like this would happen – There would always be a Jennifer Shepard there somewhere, rambling on about coercion and deception and he’d be at a loss, trying to remember what they said when really all he’d have to do was rely on a recording later to transcribe, but _nope_ , he was a stubborn bastard who detested technology.

 

And then Jen was no longer talking, Gibbs opened his eyes just in time to see a sharp needle coming for his thigh and had just enough time to grab Jen’s wrist with his marine-speed precision.  Tony came out of the bathroom at that very moment, pocketing his cellphone and withdrawing a set of cuffs – he didn’t even look all that shocked to see that Jen was still alive, he probably had that bit of freak-out moment while he was still secured behind the bathroom door “I got it all, boss.” Tony informed him while he snapped the cuffs around Jen’s wrists, a lot more carefully than he would any normal suspect; he then proceeded to read Jen her rights

 

Gibbs nodded in satisfaction – he didn’t know what ‘ _all_ ’ entailed, but he was glad that Tony was paying attention, mostly because the pain meds that the doctors had running in him were starting to make his head swim again.  Callen came into the room a few seconds later, “What happened?” he asked, slightly out of breath, looking between Tony, the arrested woman, and Gibbs with widened eyes.

 

Tony shook his head slowly “We’ll talk about it later – Get a doctor in here to check Gibbs over… I need to confer with Security and call Director Vance… He’s going to want to know about this.” Tony stated, pointing at Jen briefly; Tony then grabbed ahold of the wheelchair handles that Jen was sitting in and began pushing her out of the room with one hand, his other hand recollecting his cellphone so he could dial up Vance and begin the long process of explaining just what the hell went on here.

 

* * *

 

 

Randall cursed as he watched from the shadows – He knew he shouldn’t have let Jen go in there, not alone, not even with him as her back up – and now here she is, being wheeled away by one of the brown-haired young men that Gibbs’ had been so close with, and the _other_ one returned, so there was no way that he would be able to get in there and finish the job that Jen had started… Randall sighed as he refocused on his partner, watching the resigned look on her features as she was wheeled past him.

 

He should go after Jen, free her from that young man, but he can’t – There would be absolutely no way, not now with two security officers and a man in a suit standing near them.  Surely they’ll take Jen away, probably to the nearest police station and into a holding cell – That’s when he’ll rescue her, and they’ll go someplace else, somewhere warm perhaps.  Randall closed his eyes and leaned back against the corner of the wall as he thought about the earlier conversation he had with Jen.

 

_“I’m going to kill him, Randy… I need to do this… It needs to be done.” Jen had said, her voice filled with hatred, much as her eyes were as she stared up at the hospital building._

_Randall nodded his head solemnly “Yes, I understand your wishes… I will help you in any way that I can.” He replied obediently, like he always had when it came to Jennifer Shepard – For some reason he just could never say **no** to the damned woman._

_Jen nodded slowly “I’m going to need a syringe filled with my chemo medication… It seems the only plausible way to kill him… It’ll be slow and painful, and the doctor’s won’t be able to do anything about it… I think that’s what he deserves, don’t you?” Jen asked, looking over at Randall with a hopefulness in her eyes._

_Randall nodded again “I understand.  I will get the syringe prepared for you.” Randall said, again easily agreeing and obeying the command of the deranged and sickly woman beside him; he knew he would never be able to disobey her words, it was not in his nature to disobey her._

_So, without second though, Randall collected the bag that contained the pre-sorted syringes and withdrew one from its package, then gingerly handed it off to Jen – he watched as her gloved hand took a hold of it, and he cursed himself for being so stupid as to not have gloves on himself; his prints were now all over that syringe, and Jen’s were not – even in her cancer-riddled mind, she still had the clarity to remember that she needed to protect herself, and he; well he was just a lowly servant, doing the devil’s bidding._

Randall’s eyes popped open, he was still standing in the dark corner, his eyes fixated on Gibbs’ hospital room as he watched shadowy figures pass back and forth in the window – He figured it was the two companions that Gibbs was accompanied by.  Randall watched as an orderly walked past with a cart full of soiled hospital clothes strolled past and an idea struck him – He could pose as an orderly, go into the room with a well-developed disguise, and get the syringe back, if it weren’t already gone.

 

* * *

 

 

Gibbs sighed as he watched Tony and Callen pace about his hospital room, both seemed a little frantic, and definitely a lot worried; it also wasn’t helping that he had a doctor and two nurses poking and prodding at him like a slab of beef, to see if he was okay.  Physically, and mentally, he knew that he was perfectly fine – Jen hadn’t laid a finger on him, it was the other way around, but he would suffer through the poking and prodding, if only to make his two lovers feel more assured that he was just fine.

 

When the doctor had declared him to be in perfect condition – aside from his already present injuries, which were not strained in the slightest – Tony and Callen both collapsed into the small loveseat that was across from the hospital bed “See, I told you that I was just fine… You should have just listened to me in the first place.” Gibbs said with a hint of smug satisfaction coloring his tone.

 

Tony scoffed and pointed an accusatory finger in Gibbs’ direction “You could have died, Gibbs.  God knows what she had in that syringe, she was _inches_ from jabbing it into your leg!” Tony near-shouted, having stood up from his seat, once again, and pointing that same finger almost directly into Gibbs’ face – the anger that he felt in that moment practically rolling off of him in tangible waves.

 

Gibbs grasped Tony’s finger gently, “Hey… She didn’t, okay?  She didn’t stick me, and I’m not dead – The doctor just confirmed both of those concerns – So what’s the deal here, huh?” Gibbs asked, his tone was rough and quiet, his eyes were laser-focused on Tony’s, who’s were actually nervously darting around the room and not focusing on one thing for too long.

 

Tony sighed as he pulled his finger out of Gibbs’ hand, he shook his head “Nothing, okay?  Nothing is the deal here…” Tony whispered as he turned away, crossing his arms over his chest and bringing his thumb up to his mouth as he nervously chewed on the nail to keep from saying anything out of turn that would send warning signs off in everyone else’s mind – He couldn’t help that his were already going off at full-blast.

 

Gibbs frowned, pulling himself up into a better seated position “Tony… what happened when Jen was in here?  What did she say?” Gibbs asked quietly – He knew that this was probably the cause for the younger man’s worry, especially because he had been pretty much out of it since Jen came into the room, and he had no recollection of what she’d said to him after commenting on his relationship with Tony and Callen.

 

Tony visibly tense up at Gibbs’ inquiry, but instead of shying away or deflecting or using any of his tricks of evasion, Tony pulled out his cellphone and set it down on the rolling tray table, he pulled up the recorded conversation and pressed the play button – Callen, Gibbs and Tony listened to it intently, even if they didn’t want too.

 

_“You disgust me, you know?  How could you possibly think that two younger, no doubt hotter, men would actually want you?” a pause, with ragged breathing “You’re a washed up old Marine, Jethro… You don’t deserve the love that those two boys have for you – Have you even thought about that?  They’re young, hell they’re probably working through some daddy issues with you, and when they get over it… You’ll be left with **nothing!** ” Jen hissed, her voice taking on an icy and venomous sneer.  “You may catch me at this, and I’ll be glad that you do – I’d rather die in a prison cell back in America than rot another day in this hell-hole country, but be warned Jethro… You too, will die… I have plenty of people who will carry out my last wishes.  Randall being one of them, he’ll see that I’ve been arrested, and he’ll come to my rescue and avenge me the only way he knows how.” Jen finished speaking and the recording went to a slightly static noise – presumably Tony moving his cellphone around to stop the recording._

Gibbs stared blankly at Tony’s cellphone, watching the pause button on the recording blink back at him, almost mockingly it seemed.  After a few more seconds he shook himself and looked up at Tony, but before he could speak, Callen stood up and crossed over to him “It’s not true… None of it is – You’re good to both of us, Gibbs… we can see that, and while it _may_ be true that we both have unresolved issues with our fathers, it has no reflection on you… You’re an amazing man, who despite all the tragedy, still have room in your heart to love not one, but both of us…” Callen assured as he leaned down, kissing Gibbs softly on the lips, whispering “And nobody, _absolutely nobody_ , will be coming after you – Of that, I can promise you.” Callen smiled as he kissed Gibbs once more before turning his head in Tony’s direction.

 

Tony nodded slowly “He’s right Gibbs – You know the problems I have with my father… You don’t even come close to his level of bastardism…” Tony chuckled as he pushed the rolling tray away and got onto the bed carefully, “I love you Jethro, for who _you_ _are_ as a man, and no amount of daddy issues will take that love away… Even when you’re… older, and greyer.” Tony said, grinning from ear to ear as he laid his head down against Gibbs’ shoulder “He’s also right that nobody will come after you, I’ll make sure of it.” Tony promised quietly.

 

Gibbs simply smiled as he wrapped one arm around Tony’s body, and the other around Callen’s waist “She likes her mind games, and I can play mind games with the best of them but she has never _really_ gotten under my skin, unless she fucks with what’s mine, and so far, she hasn’t… She can’t get to what’s mine anymore… Nobody ever will.” Gibbs vowed as he kissed both men, since Callen had moved to lay down on the other side of the bed with him; he was absolutely surrounded by an out-pouring of love, and that did not go unnoticed as he held both of his younger lovers close to his body.

 

The three men fell into a companionable silence, listening to one another breathe – but no man noticed that just outside of the door, there was someone watching them, listening to the conversation that had just taken place between them.  They went completely unaware, even as the person walked away, they fell asleep in that small hospital bed, tightly squished together, but neither willing to get up or move from their positions – they had no reason to do that, they loved each other and whatever space that they could get was just fine with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahaha - aha... Anyway; I hope this satisfied your plot bunny, Shadow. I kind of strayed from the bunny /slightly/ but... I still covered it, sort of, yeah? I hope so :)

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I lay my weary soul at the mercy of you all for your critiques, and... whatever else ya got for me! You know I get a rise out of sexy comments :3


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